STRATEGIC PRIORITY
Educational Opportunities
United Way of Allen County prioritizes a holistic approach to addressing educational opportunities beginning in early childhood through post-secondary education. Education serves as a tool to break the cycle of poverty and contributes to a strong foundation for future learning, college completion rates, and employability.
High Quality Early Learning Opportunities
We are ensuring children have access to high quality childcare and early learning experiences which prepare them to enter school ready to learn.
Workforce Stability
We are ensuring parents can return or stay in the workforce by expanding high-quality childcare options.
Career Readiness & Employment Success
We are providing services related to educational goal attainment, financial literacy coaching, and life skills development.
“66% of Allen County children under the age of 6 need childcare; however, Allen County only has licensed capacity to serve 44% of those children.”
Brighter Futures Indiana
Kindergarten Countdown
The Kindergarten Countdown program was developed to help families better navigate and prepare for the crucial transition into kindergarten while helping students be better prepared for school. The program consists of 20 students per classroom with four weeks of high-quality instruction using a very hands-on, exploratory approach to learning.
The program focuses on the practice of essential academic and social development skills that are fundamental to a child’s ability to learn. United Way of Allen County has supported this essential program for more than 10 years.
Persistence Pays Off
The Persistence Pays Off (PPO) program facilitates the successful achievement of college degrees, credentials, or certificates for students facing barriers by addressing challenges in their lives and developing essential skills.
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Training
This project provides an in-depth training series for mental health clinicians and childcare providers around infant and early childhood mental health principles.
Infant mental health-informed principles provide a framework for understanding and supporting the emotional well-being of infants and young children within the context of their relationships. These principles are grounded in decades of research and focus on the critical role that early relationships, experiences, and environments play in shaping a child’s social, emotional, and developmental health.
Educational Opportunities Partners
