United Way, Community Foundation announce

Monroe County Birth-to-Five Coalition

 

On June 4, United Way of Monroe County and the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County announced the Monroe County Birth-to-Five Coalition, a new initiative to focus community energies on the value of early childhood development.

The Coalition will focus resources on the birth-to-five years in order to increase success in school, graduation rates, workforce readiness, job productivity, and community engagement, and decrease crime rates, teenage pregnancy, welfare dependency, job training costs, remedial education costs, and grade repetition.

United Way Executive Director Barry Lessow and Community Foundation President and CEO Shari Woodbury also announced that the Coalition is seeking a full-time coordinator for this new joint endeavor. This job description outlines the opportunities and responsibilities of this new community position, which will provide professional staff leadership for the Coalition.

The coordinator will work with the steering committee to bring together leaders from business, education, labor, government, the faith sector, and health and human service providers with the goal of ensuring that all children in Monroe County start kindergarten ready to learn.

The announcement took place at the Education Reception hosted by the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. The keynote address was given by State Representative Peggy Welch (District 60), who focused on the importance of those early years in a child’s entire life, including their health, job possibilities, and income potential. Representative Welch cited research indicating that investing $1 in early childhood can save as much as $4-$17 down the road, and discussed the need for further public and private investment in this area.

The Birth-to-Five Coalition builds on the work of both organizations. For several years, United Way has encouraged parents and caregivers to remember that children are “Born Learning” and has provided free materials that build help children learn and bond.

The Community Foundation has led the multi-year Community Alliance to Promote Education (CAPE) project, which placed Family Resource Centers throughout the community and developed strategies that keep parents engaged in their child’s learning.

According to UW’s Lessow, “At United Way, we know people are much more likely to have a successful life when they have educational opportunities, financial stability, and life’s basics... or what we call the ‘3 Es’: Education, Earnings, and Essentials. And that potential starts at and even before birth, when the brain is forming and being shaped by experiences, sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle. We are proud to be working with the Community Foundation to help Monroe County children get a smart start in life.”

For more information about the Monroe County Birth-to-Five Coalition, write to birthtofive@monroeunitedway.org.