New to our site? Click here to let us help you find what you're looking for. Contact Us English | Español
Success By 6 - About Us
Children are born learning, and their experiences between birth and school entry greatly determine whether they will enter school ready for sustained success. SB6 leads a robust coalition of families, educators, health care and human service providers, and civic leaders dedicated to address the gaps in our community and impact the lives of our youngest and most vulnerable community members.
SB6 has developed an a formula to make meaningful change and created actionable steps to get there:
- FAMILY SUPPORT: 25% of children living in low-income families will have parents who have completed research-based parent education programs by 2016.
- QUALITY EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION: 75% of early care and education centers serving low-income children will be quality rated and/or accredited by the Texas Rising Star Program or accredited by the National Association for the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC) by 2016.
- SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT: 50% of early care and education programs serving low-income children will have access to mental health consultation services by 2016.
SB6 has made a real difference:
- Through SB6's participation in a nation-wide data mapping initiative, 14 elementary schools in Austin ISD and Manor ISD assessed their kindergarten students' school readiness. School ready children are identified as having the cognitive, social, and motor skills that are prerequisites to learning. The information gathered from this assessment will allow United Way Capital Area, as well as other funders and planners, to make more informed decisions when allocating resources and building policies.
- In 4 WIC clinics, where mothers are provided with supplemental nutrition and health education, over 800 children ages zero to four received comprehensive developmental screenings and referrals to appropriate services.
- In response to the needs expressed by parents, Success by 6 partnered with KLRU to deliver a pilot program in preparation for the Play to Learn High Tech expansion. Families received services at Oak Meadows Elementary School (Manor), the For the City Center (St. John) and the Southeast Austin Community Branch Library (Dove Springs). Approximately thirty families attended the 8-week program to receive coaching on at-home early education strategies for their children.
- Helped launch Reach Out and Read in the Carousel Clinic serving the St. John community. Over 7,000 children will receive brand-new books as part of their regular well child checks. This program educates families on the importance of developmentally-appropriate books and reading to children. By providing books at regular pediatric checkups, UWCA ensures low-income families can take advantage of the opportunity without added time or travel. Parents served by this program are up to four times more likely to read aloud to their children. The children show significant developmental gains in language and a six-month developmental edge over their peers in preschool.