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The Work of the New United Way
Many of you know that United Way Capital Area has undergone an exciting shift in the way we're addressing community issues. But you might not realize that some of this shift has been underway for awhile now, and has produced some amazing results. Starting this month and for the next couple of editions of "Community Matters," we'll be highlighting these successes. And in the process, we hope to illustrate the nuts-and-bolts of our new approach and how it creates serious, long-term impact across Central Texas. We start this month with...
The Quality Childcare Mentoring Collaboration
One of our new focus areas, Education, is divided into two parts: Early Childhood and Youth. Most of the work done in the Early Childhood area is being done by Success By 6, the United Way initiative that for the last two years has brought together more than 70 community groups and leaders to help make sure that by the time they reach six-years-old, every child in Central Texas is "healthy, happy, and smart"—and ready to succeed in school.
Enter the "Quality Childcare Mentoring Collaboration," a project of Success By 6 and its many partners.
Goal of the Collaboration: Help childcare centers achieve state-approved quality ratings, which ensure that the childcare center is effectively preparing children to succeed in school.
Why is this Work so Important? Because we know that children who attend high quality early childhood programs are more likely to succeed in school and in life. (Consider also that every $1 invested in quality early-childhood care saves society up to $17 in costs down the road.)
Collaborators: United Way Success By 6, WorkSource, Family Connections, Austin Community College, City of Austin, Travis County
As part of the "new" United Way, we have outlined a deliberate and specific process for addressing our community's needs, including the need for quality childcare centers. Starting at the top and moving clockwise, this process looks like this:
And here's how the Quality Childcare Mentoring Collaboration fit into this process...
1. Assess Community Needs
We began with the simple question, "How many childcare centers currently meet quality standards?" Unfortunately, we learned that less than 14% of childcare centers in Austin met any quality standards beyond basic licensing requirements-a much lower percentage than for other U.S. cities of comparable size.
We then asked, "Who is providing services to child care centers now? And how might things improve if we came together to tackle the issue?"
2. Research Best Practices
We looked at mentoring models across the U.S., wherein various experts and community organizations help guide childcare centers toward making improvements in their services.. This resulted in a stack of data that shows conclusively which strategies yield the best results.
That data, showing evidence-based best practices and promising practices, was shared with our collaborating partners so that our strategies and practices could follow the lead of those that have been proven to work.
3. Develop Collaborative Strategies
When our partners came to the table, we discovered some duplication of services. Aligned under United Way Success By 6, the partners then worked together to create a new system for serving the childcare centers that eliminated any duplication of services. It was agreed that:
- WorkSource would serve the centers with the most needs, or the furthest to go in the quality rating system.
- Family Connections would work with centers that already meet some quality standards but are looking to improve.
- ACC would work with those centers striving to reach the highest standard of national accreditation.
4. Invest And Take Action United Way Success By 6 is providing funding to the mentoring collaboration. Success By 6 also met with each City Council member and every Travis County Commissioner to request additional funding from the City and County. The result? The City and County recently approved funding of over $210,000 for this important initiative.
5. Measure Results Last year, fewer than 14% of childcare centers met any quality standards. Today, 19% have achieved quality ratings, and by mid-2008, a full 27% of childcare centers will achieve quality ratings.
In just two years, the number of quality-rated childcare centers will have almost doubled.
We're proud of these results, but we know we have a long way to go. Through this collaboration and other programs, United Way Success By 6 will continue this work until more than 90% of childcare centers in Central Texas achieve quality ratings, placing us among the leading communities in the country when it comes to serving our youngest children.
You should be proud of these results, too... Because as a supporter of United Way Capital Area, you have a hand in the successes being yielded by this new approach.
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Young Leader of the Year Award
On Saturday, November 3, the Austin Scottish Rite Theater was filled with the sounds of the Roaring 1920s, as almost 200 Young Leaders Society members and their guests took part in the annual "Wild Night Out" celebration and heard the announcement of the Young Leader of the Year Award.
Durel Bernard (Manager of YLS), Kelly Caldwell (YLS Board member), Christine Fernandez (YLS Board member), Luke Ellis (2007 Young Leader of the Year)
The 2007 Young Leader of the Year is Mr. Luke Ellis.
Mr. Ellis, who works as an attorney in Austin, exemplifies the YLS principles of leadership, volunteerism, and philanthropy in myriad ways. As co-chair of the People's Law School event and host of the weekly legal segment "The Common Law" on News 8 Austin, Luke is committed to demystifying the law for the uninformed and underserved, helping them understand their rights and options and making the "legal world" seem far less daunting to the average Austinite.
But that's not nearly all. Luke has been a long-time volunteer with Habitat For Humanity, having helped the organization build homes all over the world. Now, he's deeply committed to Austin Habitat For Humanity, serving on its board and becoming the founding member of its young professionals group, "Habitat Young Professionals." Starting with an initial membership of 16, Luke helped turn the HYP into a strong, recognized, active organization in Austin with more than 200 members. During the group's first year, in dues and additional fundraisers, the HYP members raised more than $80,000 and donated more than 2,000 hours to Habitat. Members identify Luke's compassion and leadership skills as the primary reasons for the HYP's success.
In the end, Luke personifies the steering principles of both YLS and United Way: a commitment to the community, the desire to take charge and get things accomplished, and the willingness to listen to everyone to attain the greatest results.
We are proud to announce Luke Ellis as the Young Leaders Society 2007 "Young Leader of the Year."
And we'll see you in 2008!
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Commentary: Oral Health
Oral health is Austin's most under-addressed health concern. It's that simple. The demand for affordable dentistry and quality public awareness is growing, while services designed to meet these needs grow fewer and farther between. In Central Texas, the primary reasons people don't access oral health services are lack of awareness and the inability to afford it, thanks to poor or no health insurance. It doesn't help that in Texas only 17% of dentists accept Medicaid when nearly 4 million Texans count Medicaid as their only insurance. So we shouldn't be surprised that about one in every four individuals, including children, has untreated cavities, or that last year in Austin, almost 3,000 emergency room visits were for conditions and diseases related to poor oral health, i.e., preventable.
But even more significant than these numbers is the boost in self-esteem and confidence that accompanies a healthy smile. For those who are fortunate enough to both know about and afford quality oral healthcare, it can be difficult to imagine the shame and embarrassment that comes with missing or poor teeth (and the myriad diseases caused by such poor oral hygiene). But the truth is, by fixing our community's smiles, especially those of our most vulnerable populations, we can instill a sense of pride and potential that translates into exponential benefits-for everyone. At United Way, for example, we recently identified 'Oral Health' as a key component of our new and improved focus on community health. Why? Because the Central Texas community demanded it. And because, quite simply, everyone deserves the chance to smile.
by Andy Buck
Communications Manager, United Way Capital Area
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Mando Rayo makes national news!
Everyone knows Mando Rayo, right? As the long-time Director of Hands On Central Texas, Mando has made QUITE the name for himself in Central Texas nonprofit world. But now he's going NATIONAL. That's right, check out this article that appeared in The Chronicle of Philanthropy last month...
Inching to the Top: Nonprofit managers who are minorities search for a quicker way up the ladder
Chronicle of Philanthropy-
October 2007
Sharing is Caring!
Hands On Central Texas is promoting holiday needs in November and December. Our nonprofit partners are currently needing volunteers and in-kind good such as food baskets, winter clothes, space heaters, blankets, comforters, sleeping bags and holiday gifts for kids and families. To start sharing, please go to www.handsoncentraltexas.org.
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This Month's Features
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Upcoming Events
Sat, November 10
YLS volunteering at the Capital Area Food Bank
Sat, November 17
National Family Volunteer Day
Tue, November 20
HEB Feast of Sharing 2007 -- Thanks to everyone who has volunteered to help feed more than 8,000 Central Texas families
and join us in the HEB Feast of Sharing Holiday Dinner!
Agency Workshop Series
· more information
...see all news & events
“Be on the lookout next week, because a brand-new iPhone could be coming YOUR way.
That's right, we're looking to give away an iPhone to one lucky
contributor who invests in United Way Capital Area in the following few weeks. More details to come soon, but get your shamrock, rabbit's foot, and
checkbook out, and get ready to make an impact in Central Texas ... and maybe get the coolest gadget on Earth in the process.”
Leadership
Member Events
Tues, Nov 20
Lunch with Leaders, a Young Leaders Society event
Sat, Dec 1
Women's Giving Network Holiday Party
How can I become a member?
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Thank Yous
- Everyone who made the 2007 YLS "Wild Night Out" such a success
- The Community Investment Review Volunteer Team, who is currently at work reviewing almost 200 proposals from community groups and nonprofit agencies
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