Our Work » EDUCATION United Way Success By 6 Summary of Our Work What does early childhood success look like? Picture a toddler eager to learn, a 5-year-old learning to share, and parents able to go to work knowing that their child is safe and happy at a quality preschool. Investing $1 now in early learning saves $17 in the future, with tangible results measured in lower crime, fewer teen pregnancies, and higher individual education and earning levels. Source: HighScope Perry Preschool Study As part of United Way of Northern New Jersey’s commitment to EDUCATION, our United Way Success By 6 initiative works to ensure that children enter kindergarten prepared for success in school and in life. We provide services so that children feel connected, supported and engaged in their family, school, and community in their first six years of life. And the good news is, we are making progress; the kindergarten readiness rate at our partner child care centers is 97 percent versus the national average of 60 percent.* More than 350 United Way Success By 6 coalitions have formed in communities around the country. For more than 20 years, these coalitions have been raising awareness of the importance of early childhood development and advocating for public policies to improve young children’s lives. United Way Success By 6 Mission The mission of United Way Success By 6 is to ensure that all children are prepared to successfully begin school – academically, socially, emotionally, and physically – and to thrive in our increasingly complex world. United Way Success By 6 goals are to: - Ensure children are prepared to begin and succeed in school by age six.
- Provide families with access to affordable, flexible, and quality child care programs.
- Ensure children and young people live in households free from neglect and abuse.
- Provide families with access to parenting support and education to help them get involved in their children’s education.
- Ensure young children and their families are equipped to handle debilitating life experiences, recover from stressful situations, and learn skills to avoid at-risk behavior.
- Provide young children with opportunities for positive self-expression and social development.
United Way Success By 6 relies on volunteers to achieve our work. Download a PDF of a listing of our Steering Committee members. *Kauffman Early Education Exchange, 2002, cites national studies estimating that more than 40 percent of kindergartners are not ready for school | 
