Promoting healthy early childhood development to ensure children enter school ready to succeed.

From birth to age six, children’s brains develop very rapidly, and early learning is crucial as it lays the groundwork for the future. Early childhood development programs initiate cognitive and character skills, preparing children for success in kindergarten and overall achievement in school.

Because parents are a child’s first and most important teachers, future academic success begins at home. By actively participating in their child’s early education, parents can increase their child’s performance, growth and reading and writing skills.

What we do

Our Success By 6 Impact Council promotes healthy early childhood development to ensure children enter school ready to succeed.

View our strategy guide for more detailed information about our beliefs, measurement, and activities.  VIEW STRATEGY GUIDE

Success By 6 Community Dashboard Measurement

Each year the Success By 6 Impact Council uses a 15-question Kindergarten Readiness Checklist (KRC) to assess kindergarten readiness. This KRC is distributed to kindergarten teachers across the Wabash Valley. A random sample of students is assessed to measure the overall community kindergarten readiness score based on a 100-point scale.

The below interactive dashboard allows you to see the trends over the 5-years we have been doing the study and see how the scores change based on whether a child attended pre-k or not.  You can also see the trends in the checklist items year over year.

Please note that the dashboard above may not function properly if your internet browser does not allow third-party cookies or if you are viewing the dashboard in an incognito browser.

Want more information about Success By 6’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessments check out the below documents.

75%

75% of children in the Wabash Valley are not enrolled in a high quality child care

Impact Council

The Success By 6 Impact Council, a multi-sector volunteer committee of nonprofit, government, education, and business leaders who are experts in and/or are passionate about early childhood education in our community.  They believe that across all sectors our community can support and invest in high-quality early childhood education.

The impact council is investing to bring successful results to the agreed-upon specific outcome targets in support of the overall United Way of the Wabash Valley community goal.

Objective: Improve the amount of students "kindergarten-ready" at entry

Strategies

Increase high quality childcare programs and access to them

Support coordination between Early Childhood Education and school settings

Parent and volunteer engagement in literacy acquisition

Engage in public policy and advocacy related to Early Childhood Education, poverty and community economic prosperity

Measurements

Kindergarten Readiness of students upon entry

Number and filled capacity of Wabash Valley child care programs at Levels 3 and 4 in the Paths to QUALITY

Business and civic/local government leaders actively serve on the Committee

PreK, PTQ ECE program enrollment/retention

Positive media attention that is not initiated by the Committee

Success By 6 Impact Council Solutions

Quality Childcare Initiative Grant

Since 2017, the United Way has invested $168,000 in a grant to local childcare providers in order to increase the access to high quality care in the Wabash Valley. This investment created over 300 higher quality spots that will be able to prepare children for generations to come!

On My Way Pre-K

United Way provides the matching funds for the On My Way Pre-K grants in our community to 4-year-olds from low-income families giving them access to a high-quality pre-K program the year before they begin Kindergarten. Families who receive a grant may use the grant at any approved On My Way Pre-K program. For more information visit www.onmywayprek.org or contact Crystal Moore at [email protected] or 812-230-1983.

Family Literacy Mini-Grants

An annual grant that funds early childhood educators and child care providers to conduct literacy events that nurture a love for reading and learning in young children (0-5) and their families. A key element in these grants is family involvement to encourage increased literacy activities within the home.

Read United! & Real Men Read

Read UNITED! and Real Men Read is a program that brings adult mentors into kindergarten and preschools in the 6-county service area to read to students once a month for five months. Each child receives a copy of the book to take home, resulting in five new books in their home library. The program encourages the student’s literacy skills and joy of reading, provides mentoring opportunities for adults with students, and gives students extra attention and positive role models who value education.

Natalie Pugh Memorial Professional Development Fund

A fund named in honor of a dedicated early childhood education advocate and United Way volunteer, that offers financial support to early childhood educators who wish to pursue opportunities being offered by Success By 6 to enhance their knowledge, skills, and practice.  Below are two investments currently supported by this fund.

Professional Development Grants

An open grant program that funds child-care providers and early education professionals that work with children ages 0-6 to attend continuing education programs. To apply for funding visit uwwv.org/funding

Credential Assistance Program (CAP)

The Success By 6 Council wants to help fulfill the need for trained early childhood education teachers with the development of their Early Childhood Education Credential Assistance Program (CAP). This program has made $30,000 available as educational fulfillment incentives to those who complete their credential/degree program utilizing the federally funded and Indiana administered Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H) Early Childhood Scholarship Program or Illinois’s Gateways Scholarship Program. These are already funded programs that provide tuition reimbursement to students in the early childhood education field.

This United Way gap funding will be available to support individuals as an additional direct monetary incentive to complete their education and also as an incentive payment to assist the individual’s early childhood education program employer as they support their employees to help them attain their educational goals. The incentive funding will range from $500 – $1,500 based on the credential or degree type.

To learn more and apply visit uwwv.org/funding

Free Books for Vigo County Children 0-5

Hoosiers Read is a literacy advocacy organization—and an affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. We partner together to mail one free book a month to children from birth to age five.

Success By 6 Impact Council Members - Development Team

Composed of volunteers who are passionate and/or experts in the field of early childhood education.  They are responsible for developing ideas to move the needle towards their agreed upon measurement.

Krissie Pickering – Chair
Ivy Tech Community College

Holly Curtsinger – Chair
Indiana State University

Ashley Bennett
Vigo County School Corporation

Yalonda Brown
Indiana Youth Institute

Kristi Burkhart
Chances and Services for Youth

Kerry Clear
Brazil First United Methodist Church

Kristin Craig
Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce

Holly Curtsinger
Indiana State University

Renee Henry
Terre Haute Children’s Museum

Megan Howes
Vigo County Public Library

Crystal Moore
FSSA

Kymberli Payonk
Retired Preschool Teacher

Ken Pierce
Retired Vigo County School Corporation

Dave Piker
Retired – Rose-Hulman

Success By 6 Impact Council Members - Resource Team

Composed of volunteers who provide financial oversight for the resources entrusted to the impact council.

Amy Naidu- Chair
Wabash Valley Community Foundation

Kati Colvin
Indiana State University Foundation

Nancy Edgerton
Retired – Hamilton Center

Brian Mimms
Fifth Third Bank

Stuart Powell
Elanco

Prepare the Children for a Lifetime

Your donation to the Success By 6 Impact Council will be invested in the best ways to prepare children to enter kindergarten ready by building a foundation of lifelong learning.

Donate to Success By 6