Washtenaw Success By 6^®, a Great Start Initiative is a community-wide effort that impacts policies, procedures, programs, and systems to ensure that every child starts school ready to succeed. Note: Washtenaw United Way recently received permission from the United Way of America to adopt the name and logo of Success By 6^®, a nationally recognized early childhood program.

The vision is that “every child will start school ready to succeed.” We recognize that children are born learning, and that the early childhood years are critical to later success in school and in life. Washtenaw United Way is partnering with other community leaders to help parents and the community better support the positive early development of young children—prenatally through age six.

Building on years of research, program development, and service delivery, the Washtenaw Project Great Start Leadership Commission grew out of a need identified by a core group of partners including the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, the Washtenaw County Human Services Community Collaborative, Washtenaw United Way, and Washtenaw Intermediate School District.

1. Conduct a public education campaign with ongoing, long-term focus on promoting supportive and safe parenting and quality child care/early education.
2. Launch a county-wide campaign to increase and maintain enrollment of eligible children in publicly-funded children’s health insurance programs as early as possible in their lives.
3. Make training and skill building in best practices increasingly available and accessible to child care and early education workers.
4. Increase the quantity and coordination of home visiting services and parenting support services.
5. Develop an easily accessible and coordinated approach to providing contact information, assistance and referral about available services.
6. Formalize a planning and policy support entity that parallels the state’s Early Childhood Investment Corporation approach to implement the recommendations of Great Start.

Long-term research shows that adults who received high-quality early childhood care and education have economic and social gains and less criminal behavior, and that there is a return to society of more than $17 for every tax dollar invested in quality early childhood programs.

The difference is Success By 6^®, a Great Start Initiative, is not a program! It is a coalition designed to focus community resources on systems change.

Washtenaw United Way will employ a program manager to mobilize the community and implement the six recommendations of the leadership commission. While the program manager will develop and implement a fundraising plan, and some activities may be funded through grants and/oraffiliation with the state’s Early Childhood Investment Corporation,it’s not about raising lots of additional revenue. It’s about focusing the existing revenue and systems to better service young children in Washtenaw County.

The Washtenaw United Way will hire a program manager who will engage volunteers via an information campaign to help implement the recommendations.