Impact Area Information
What We Do
Progress Report
Success Stories
Meet the Team
Goals & Priorities
United Way Supported Community Collaborations
– Success By 6®
– Youth Empowerment Alliance
– Game of Life
– Math, Science, & Technology
United Way Supported Programs
Other Resources
Need to locate quality child care? Click here
What We Do
Our volunteers and staff work together to identify, develop, and support programs that help children of all ages succeed. Further, we work to provide parents with the resources and tools they need to do one of the most difficult jobs on Earth – parenting.
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Progress Report
- In 2006 alone, United Way helped six member child care centers achieve accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Ten out of our 17 member child care centers (60%) are now accredited by this prestigious quality assurance program, versus a county average of only 16%.
- Each year, United Way helps preschool teachers achieve the Child Development Associate (CDA) CDA Credential. This nationally recognized program provides extensive training in child development, and ensures that teachers in our member child care centers have achieved the CDA credential through United Way. The total number of CDA credentialed teachers in our centers now stands at 22, and an additional 81 preschool teachers are working towards attaining the credential as well.
- Ninety-five percent of eligible children in our partner child centers demonstrated readiness to attend and succeed in kindergarten. The results achieved by United Way and its partner child care centers far exceed national averages, as recent studies estimate that more than 40% of America's new kindergartners are not fully prepared or "ready" for school".
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Success Stories
Meet some of the children, teens, and families whose lives have been improved by United Way of Morris County.
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Meet the Team
Two teams of volunteers help children of all ages in Morris County succeed:
Success By 6®
JoAnn Quattro, Acting Chair
Dessalee Albright
Teresa Brennan
Sheira Greenwald
Nancy Helterman
Eileen Jankunis
Kathy Kwasnik
Susie Schub
Lorri Sullivan
Karen Wasick
Kids on Track
Nancy Eberhardt, Esq., Chair
Ray Casarico
Patrick Fennell
Kathy Kwasnik
Christine Murray
Janice Pagano
Pam Palumbo
Judy Rawla
Gail Reuther
JoAnne Rosenblum
Chris Schuette
Barbara Ward
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Goals & Priorities
Goals
- Children will be prepared to begin and succeed in school.
- Families will have access to affordable, flexible, and quality child care programs.
- Children and young people will live in households free from neglect and abuse.
- Families will have access to parenting support and education, and be involved with their children's education.
- Youth and families will be equipped to handle debilitating life experiences, recover from stressful situations, and learn skills to avoid at-risk behavior.
- Young people will have opportunities for positive self-expression and social development.
Priorities
School Readiness.
Numerous studies show that quality early learning helps a child succeed in school, work, and life. Other studies show that children with better-quality early education have stronger language, pre-mathematics, and social skills.
United Way of Morris County is proud to partner with child care programs that provide a level of service that exceeds national standards. United Way has helped many of its member child care centers achieve accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), a nationally recognized and well-respected indicator of quality and excellence in early childhood education. And, many teachers have received extensive training in child development through United Way's CDA Training and Scholarship program, which helps child care professionals attain the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential.
Access to quality, affordable child care for all families.
The cost of quality child care is simply out of reach for many struggling families in Morris County. Our families face some of the most expensive costs for child care in the nation… the average
annual
cost of early child care in our County is nearly $9,000 per child. Moreover, a recent national study showed that our residents are spending an extremely disproportionate amount of their family income on preschool care – sometimes as much as 33%!
Every year, United Way provides scholarships for almost 1,200 low-income children and their families, giving them access to not only affordable child care, after school care, and summer camp programs, but access to quality care that surpasses national expectations.
Supporting the needs of children with severe behavioral problems.
Kicking. Throwing chairs. Biting. Severe temper tantrums. These disturbing behaviors are a national trend in a growing number of children under the age of five. These behaviors are not just children "acting out", they can be signs of more serious issues. Left unaddressed, developmental issues lead to continued problems for these children and become problems for those around them in the school systems.
Local child care centers have requested additional help from trained professionals to deal with the inappropriate and oftentimes unmanageable behavior exhibited by an increasing number of children. In response, United Way is embarking on a new project in partnership with Youth Consultation Services. The Preschool Mental Health Initiative is providing early childhood educators in United Way's partner child care centers with an unprecedented level of instruction and support to enable them to better meet the needs of the children in their care.
Helping teenagers weather the storm of adolescence and develop into their fullest potential. United Way and Youth Empowerment Strategies are working together to complete the Youth Empowerment Alliance in Morris County. The Project engages middle school teenagers in surveys and focus group discussions that give teens the opportunity to share their feelings about serious issues in a safe, confidential environment. By engaging teenagers, we gain in-depth knowledge of risk factors affecting them, as well as the kinds of activities that would help develop greater self-esteem and leadership skills among teens. We hear directly from teens about teens. Data collected from the Youth Empowerment Alliance will be utilized to develop programs to address specific needs of middle school teens at risk throughout the county, an often underserved age group.
Providing meaningful activities for teenagers.
Our Youth Leadership and Service Council gives young people a fun way to volunteer their time, develop their leadership potential, and make new friendships.
And, our Youth Empowerment Alliance is engaging middle school youth in focus group discussions about real-life issues they are facing. The Project is also giving teenagers the opportunity to increase their problem solving skills and receive invaluable information about the issue, their town, community, and county resources through the Game of Life.
Providing parents with the skills and tools they need to positively shape
their child's world.
Providing parents with the skills and tools they need to positively shape their child's world. Training and workshop programs for parenting education are one way that United Way addresses this priority. United Way's Born Learning Public Awareness and Engagement Campaign is another.
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United Way Supported Community Collaborations
Born Learning Public Awareness and Engagement Campaign
This three-year national public awareness campaign is addressing root problems that prevent children from entering school prepared to succeed. A partnership between United Way, the Ad Council, and Civitas is providing nationwide television, radio, and print ads; parent and caregiver education materials; and a website for parents with action tips and information and resources.
Success By 6®
Success By 6® is the driving force behind United Way's focus on children from birth through age six and their families. Success By 6® is the nation's largest network of early childhood coalitions, focused on improving school readiness through community change. In more than 350 communities across the country, United Way Success By 6® coalitions are changing the way things work so that young children can go to school ready to succeed.
At United Way of Morris County, the Success By 6® program brings together volunteers, early childhood educators, and United Way staff to identify, develop, and support programs that will foster positive early childhood development and meet the needs of young children and their families:
Child Care Scholarship Program
Through Success By 6®, over 570 preschoolers from low-income families in Morris County are given the opportunity to attend an array of quality child care options in an affordable way. Our member child care centers provide a high quality, diverse, and enriching environment for very young children. And, our member child care centers are staffed by well-trained professionals; many have received extensive training in child development through the CDA Training and Scholarship program, which provides extensive training in child development.
CDA Training and Scholarship Program
The CDA Training Scholarship program is enhancing the level of quality at child care centers in Morris County by providing training and nationally recognized certification to all levels of child care staff. The program helps child care professionals attain the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. This credential is so important because it is a reliable and recognized demonstration of a child care professional's ability to meet the needs of children. To help centers retain quality child care professionals, graduates of the CDA program who stay with their child care centers for six months upon completion are also awarded with a retention bonus from United Way.
To find out more about enrolling in the CDA Training Scholarship Program, please email Kathy Kwasnik.
Preschool Mental Health Initiative
This pilot project is taking a new, innovative perspective to the problem of managing children with extremely challenging behaviors. As part of that initiative, United Way has partnered with Youth Consultation Services (YCS) to bring additional mental health instruction and support to child care centers.
The Preschool Mental Health Initiative builds upon the support given to child care centers through longtime United Way partner Family Service of Morris County and its STEP-by-Step program by providing additional staff training and skill building for child care staff. In addition, trained psychologists are providing on-site mental health intervention support at four area child care centers for children with disruptive behaviors. We expect this new approach to alleviate some of the stress being felt by children and the child care staff, as well as the parents and families.
School-Age Scholarship Program
Over 500 school age children from low-income families receive scholarships from United Way, which provide them with the opportunity to attend a variety of before and after school programs, as well as enriching summer camp programs.
School-Age Accreditation Project
United Way will soon be working with four of its member agency programs to help them achieve accreditation by the National School Age Child Care Association, the premier agency which certifies school age child care programs nationally. As with early childhood education, accreditation can provide a level of quality that would ensure enriching and educational activities are happening in our community's school-age programs.
Youth Empowerment Alliance
The Youth Empowerment Alliance is engaging teenagers – and our community –in meaningful discussions about serious issues, such as substance abuse, violence, and eating disorders. The Project is also providing middle school students opportunities to build on their problem solving skills and receive invaluable information about the issue, their town, community, and county resources.
What's the best way to understand the problems that kids face? Listen to them.
United Way of Morris County, in partnership with local school districts, has initiated exciting new conversations with kids about serious issues. United Way has developed the Youth Empowerment Alliance focus group project to help us better understand the problems that kids face.
The Youth Empowerment Alliance surveys local teens about serious issues such as violence, suicide, eating disorders, and other tough issues facing youth today. The project engages youth in focus group discussions that give teens the opportunity to share their feelings about these issues in a safe, confidential environment.
All surveys and focus groups are conducted by Youth Empowerment Strategies (YES), a professional human relations consulting and training organization that has a proven track record of working with Morris County school. YES brings together experts from the fields of psychology, adventure-based training, education, peer leadership, counseling, business, motivation, performing arts, martial arts, and law enforcement.
By engaging teenagers, we gain in-depth knowledge of risk factors affecting them, as well as the kinds of activities that would help develop greater self-esteem and leadership skills among teens. We hear directly from teens about teens. Data collected from the Youth Empowerment Alliance will be utilized to develop programs to address specific needs of middle school teens at risk throughout the county, an often underserved age group.
Looking for more information on the Youth Empowerment Alliance? Click here to download a pdf of the Youth Empowerment Alliance brochure.
Game of Life
This unique program, hosted in partnership with the Morris County Child Abuse Prevention Collaboration, is designed to spark awareness among teenagers about the various social issues that exist, such as substance abuse, eating disorders, and mental health issues, as well as the various agencies and programs in their local community that are in place to help address those problems. During the "Game of Life," students are given a description of a problem related to a variety of issues, including smoking, domestic violence, substance abuse, pregnancy, eating disorders, gambling, and depression. Each student has one class period to solve or address the problem by visiting and learning from the various service providers represented at the school that day. The Game of Life gives teenagers the opportunity to increase their problem solving skills and receive invaluable information about the issue, their town, community, and county resources.
Math, Science, & Technology
Coming Soon, please check back shortly.
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United Way Supported Programs
The following is a list of infant/toddler, preschool, before and after school and school age summer camp programs affiliated with United Way. All of these programs offer limited scholarship assistance to those who are eligible. Contact the agency for more information.
| YOUNG CHILDREN (BIRTH THROUGH AGE SIX) AND THEIR FAMILIES |
| Preschool at Ada Budrick Child Care & Learning Center* |
| Infant/Toddler and Preschool programs at Children on the Green* |
| Preschool program at Collinsville Child Care Center* |
| Infant/Toddler and Preschool programs at Dover Child Care Center |
| Preschool program at El Primer Paso* |
| Head Start at Head Start Community Program of Morris County* |
| Preschool program at Jefferson Child Care & Education Center |
| Preschool program at Lakeland Hills Family YMCA |
| Infant/Toddler and Preschool programs at Madison Area YMCA |
| Preschool program Madison Day Care Center |
| Infant/Toddler and Preschool programs at Richard F. Blake Children’s Center at Morris Center YMCA* |
| Preschool Child Care program at Morristown Neighborhood House Association* |
| Infant/Toddler and Preschool programs at Mount Olive and Child Care Learning Center, Inc.* |
| Infant/Toddler and Preschool programs at P.G. Chambers School* |
| Infant/Toddler and Preschool programs at Parsippany Child Day Care Center |
| Infant/Toddler and Preschool programs at Roxbury Day Care Center, Inc.* |
| Infant/Toddler and Preschool programs at the Salvation Army Day Care at The Salvation Army – Morristown Child Care |
| * denotes NAEYC accredited |
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