Facts: Success By 6

United Way of the Lower Mainland is committed to helping children 0 to 6 by significantly increasing the number of school-ready children in Metro Vancouver.

 Helping Children 0 to 6: Our Impact

In 2008, United Way funded 75 organizations that used the funds to deliver 140 early childhood programs benefiting nearly 18,000 children, over 14,500 caregivers, and 15,000 families. United Way also funded 62 programs and initiatives at 38 agencies across the region that target a broader population of which children age 0 to 6 are a part.
 
In 2008/09, United Way invested $3.9 million in a number of strategies to support young children and their families. Throughout the year, we worked with many others to address issues, take action, and ensure positive results.
 
In 2009, thanks to the funds raised in the 2008 campaign, United Way of the Lower Mainland will invest approximately $5.5 million helping children to be ready for school.

Our young children face challenges

Did you know?

• According to research by UBC’s Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), almost 30% children living in the Lower Mainland are not ready to succeed in school by age 6.
• Children in early childhood who are not ready do not have the physical, social and emotional skills they need to learn and start school. 
• Vulnerable children come from all walks of life. 
• The preschool years are the critical time to teach children the fundamentals of social interaction—sharing and compromise, cooperation and verbal communication. Those who fail to learn these lessons early in life—about 5 to 10% of Canadian children—are more likely to run into serious trouble later, from difficulty at school and substance abuse to risk-taking, mental illness and criminal activity.
• Research shows that for every dollar invested in high quality child care, at least two dollars are saved by reduced social costs and increased work productivity. For children in high risk situations, the payback can be as high as 7 to 1.
• Canadians pay more than $100,000 a year to keep an adolescent in detention while a university education in Canada costs $12,000 a year on average.
• BC has the highest child poverty rate in Canada, and is the only province where child poverty rates were actually higher in 2006 than in 1997.
• One in four children in First Nations communities are living in poverty.
• More than half of BC’s poor children live in families where at least one person has a full-time job.
• Children from low-income families are less likely to do well at school, have lower literacy levels and are more likely as adults to suffer from job insecurity, underemployment, and poor health.
  

Impact Highlights

In 2005, a UWLM-commissioned report, Success By 6: Moving Forward, identified the Lower Mainland’s early childhood development (ECD) planning and funding coalitions as a critical strength. In 2008, UWLM expanded its role to provide $255,000 through a new ECD Community Planning Partnerships grant stream.
 
United Way of the Lower Mainland works with local, regional, and provincial stakeholders to research, plan, invest in, and evaluate innovative ECD initiatives. These partnerships – embodied in 11 Early Childhood Development Planning Tables and nine ECD Public Partner/Funder groups – help to leverage dollars, seek out coordinated solutions, and support streamlined decision-making.
 
In 2008, nine Lower Mainland community coalitions participated in the first annual evaluation of community capacity building, as part of a larger provincial ECD evaluation project. Among other findings: 79% of respondents agreed their community has increased awareness of the importance of early childhood development; 68% agreed their community has improved coordination of ECD services and supports; and 68% agreed their community has new programs or have changed programs to better meet the needs of children age 0 to 6.
 
United Way is partnering with donors, government and nonprofit agencies to ensure refugee children reach their full potential through the Early Years Refugee Pilot Project. There are six communities in the Early Years Refugee Pilot; Surrey, Richmond, Tri-Cities, Langley, Vancouver and Burnaby. Many of the pilot sites have opened their doors in 2009. Initial evaluation tells us that we are already assisting a total of 439 individual refugees.
 
United Way of the Lower Mainland helps low-income families to secure healthy food, learn about nutrition and develop social connections. Since 2002, United Way has contributed $2.6 million toward food security programs and services throughout the Lower Mainland. In 2007/08: nearly 14,000 vulnerable individuals accessed food security programs; over 65,000 meals served throughout the Lower Mainland; over 21,000 food hampers distributed; over 100 balcony gardens planted; over 150 cooking and nutritional education workshops delivered.