EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS

United Way improves educational and life outcomes for children, youth and young adults from Birth to Career, by advancing equity and excellence in education. Every step in a child’s life lays the foundation for future success. Together with our partners, we’re working on a variety of education programs and initiatives. Click here to learn more. 

Cradle to Career (C2C) is a partnership of leaders from both the education and business sectors in Pima County who are using data to improve educational outcomes. The Family Support Alliance provides at-risk families the parenting resources they need to raise healthy and engaged children. The Great Expectations program offers free professional development to early childhood educators. Read On Tucson provides support to five local school districts to improve third grade reading scores. The Quality First program aims to increase access to high quality programs for families with children birth to age 5.

• 1,685 Opportunity Youth connected back to education and career pathways through the Re-Engagement Center
• 213,650 books given to children with literacy tips for parents
• 567 individuals learned new early childhood education and family support building skills
• 1,150 adults attended classes to become better parents

ACCELERATE QUALITY

Accelerate Quality anchored at United Way of Tucson is aimed at helping local families with young children. It works with eligible preschools, childcare centers, and family childcare homes to increase high quality early care and education in Pima County. Accelerate Quality provides coaching and technical support, small improvement grants, and program assessments. These supports help prepare programs to attain a high-quality rating through Arizona’s quality rating and improvement system, help them achieve accreditation, or help programs that are already high quality add additional classrooms or spaces so they can serve more children. 

MY SUMMER LIBRARY

The My Summer Library program represents a targeted approach to reach children in Pima County and southern Arizona who reside in low-income, high-need communities and attend elementary schools that are working to improve educational outcomes. The goals of My Summer Library are to improve 3rd-grade reading proficiency, build student’s home libraries and mitigate summer reading loss.

DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARY

Since 2012 United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona has been serving as a local affiliate for the Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program, which sends a free book every month to young children (birth to age 5) to their home address. Untied Way promotes the program locally and enrolls children (ages birth – 5) in selected coverage areas; and collaborates with Freeport McMoRan and other donors to support this program.

FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER

The Family Resource Centers are designed to serve and support families with children birth through age 5, the Family Resource Center is funded by First Things First with United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona serving as the lead grantee, and implemented in partnership with Casa de los Niños, Easterseals Blake Foundation, Make Way for Books, Parent Aid and UA Community Extension Programs. All programs and activities are FREE.

CHILDREN AND NATURE INITIATIVE

The Pima County Connecting Children to Nature initiative is led by United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, Prescott College Center for Nature and Place, and Pima County Natural Resources Parks and Recreation. Together we aim to connect diverse stakeholders with the shared vision of creating safe and equitable access to the outdoors for all children in our communities.

MEET DANITZA

United Way supports several programs aimed at getting children ready to be successful in school and beyond. Each year, those programs help tens of thousands here in Southern Arizona, including 5-year-old Danitza. Danitza was born with a condition commonly known as Brittle Bone Disease. Even the slightest bump, slip or fall can turn into a hospital visit and oftentimes, extensive surgery. Her parents desperately wanted to raise healthy and well-educated children and didn’t want little Danitza to fall behind her peers. Fortunately, someone told her mother, Damaris, about the United Way-funded program, Parents as Teachers. Her Parent Educator, Veronica, worked with Damaris on age-appropriate activities that would prepare Danitza for kindergarten. Since it is likely that she will miss school due to her disease, having strong communication, critical thinking and motor skills is vital for Danitza’s future. Veronica also helped Danitza’s parents set goals for their children, benchmarks to keep them on track to succeed in life. Damaris says they’ve met every single one of them! Most recently, they graduated from the Parents as Teachers program and because of that, little Danitza started kindergarten and she loves it! Her parents say they could not have done it without the help of the Parents as Teachers program and United Way.