Success By 6®
What is Success By 6®?
United Way’s Success By 6® is the largest network of early childhood coalitions in the country, focused on improving school readiness through community-level change. The initiative is based on long-term research and studies which show that the experiences of children in their first six years have a lasting impact on their success in school and in life. Locally, the goal of Success by 6® is to make sure EVERY child is ready to learn by the time they reach kindergarten.
What We’re Doing Locally
Success by 6® works with families, teachers, childcare providers and the community to help children be ready for school. The goal of school readiness has become a priority for Wayne County Family and Children First Council, the State of Ohio and the federal government. No wonder it has been a busy time for Success by 6®!
Recently, grants from the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund enabled Success by 6® to partner with Tri-County Preschool and offer a series of workshops for parents of preschoolers. These FREE workshops focused on child
development, behavior, communication, discipline and nurturing parenting. The sessions included activities for adults and children, refreshments, door prizes and information to be taken home. A second series of workshops was designed for a small group of parents whose preschoolers have developmental delays and offered support from teacher coaches between sessions.
Mary Shumar (middle), Success By 6® Coordinator, receives the 2009 Irene Bandy-Hedden Early Learning & School Readiness Leadership Award in Columbus, OH.
Success by 6® has also been busy providing training to teachers and childcare providers at:
- Wee Care Center, Wooster, OH
- Community Action Wayne/Medina
- Wayne County Job and Family Services
Trainings are highly interactive with research-based information, practical application and FUN! Topics include child and language development, challenging behaviors, teaching with intent and ‘red flags’ for developmental delays.
Success by 6® also partners with local programs to coordinate and participate in a number of annual events, including:
- A community screening is held in August to identify children from birth to age five who may have disabilities. Families are referred for appropriate evaluations for therapy and local agencies provide materials about their services.
- Wooster Community Hospital’s Early Childhood Conference for both parents and educators. Success by 6® presented information about school readiness and interviewed a panel of kindergarten teachers about which skills children need to succeed in kindergarten.
- WAEYC Week of the Young Child event at OARDC. Success by 6® displayed homemade games and information on the skills we learn while playing games.
- Main Street Wooster’s annual Kids Day – Success by 6® and Help Me Grow created an obstacle course that also taught pre-reading and pre-math skills.
- Holmes County Family Council Kid’s Fair
