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 For years, the United Way of Henry County and Martinsville has recognized the importance of focusing on the youngest in our community. Nationally, United Way Worldwide has a goal to cut the number of high school dropouts in half by 2018. Making sure our children have a good start in life is critical to meeting this goal. Towards this end, United Way works with other organizations in the community through an ealry childhood collaborative called Smart Beginnings of Martinville and Henry County, a partnerhsip of public and private agencies, businesses and individuals working to enhance the quality of services for the young children.
Ready for School, Ready for Life
The purpose of Smart Beginnings is to respond to community needs related to school readiness, including making sure parents are aware of community resources and understand how to help their chilren become ready for kindergarten. In addition, parents receive help they need to be able to recognize developmental milestones and receive follow-up, as necessary.
To assist with these goals, Smart Beginnings operates a central informaion and referral center called The Starting Place, whihc uses a "no wrong door" concept to connect families with approprppriate agencies and services. To learn more, visit www.smartbeginningsmhc.org
Prescription to Read
The United Way also partners with local medical providers to improve literacy deelopment. Reach Out and Read is a program designed to get books into the homes of childen and encourgaes parents and caregivers to read to children. Approximately 12,000 books are distributed annually through the program, along with 200 literacy totes to new moms, to encourage reading to young children.
Improving the Quality of Childcare
With the majority of a child's brain developmeng during the first five years of life, the quality of care a child receuivesd during this time is critical. Children with access to high quality early learning expereinces are more likely to acquire the skills they need to enter kindergarten ready to succeed and adapt to new learning and social environments.
United Way's Quality Enhancement Initiative works with child care providers to assist them in providing quality learning environments for children. Through monthly workshops, providers are given practical and concrete plans for guiding children's learning and development. In 2009-10, this initiaive reached 90 providers who provide children services for 750 children locally.
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