April 2023 e-Newsletter
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Tag: Kindergarten Countdown Camp
March 2023 e-Newsletter
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October 2022 e-Newsletter
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Women United Allocates $1,000,000 in Eight Years to Early Education Programs
Women United is Lake County’s premier women’s organization for strengthening the community through philanthropy, leadership, and volunteerism while creating a meaningful sense of belonging. Just this month, it was announced that Women United will distribute $186,000 through its Little Kids, Big Futures philanthropy fund to support nine critical early education programs that will ensure the foundation for strong and successful academic futures for Lake County’s most vulnerable children. 2022 marks the $1,000,000 milestone in grants to education programs across Lake County, IL!
The following programs will receive funding:
$80,000 – United Way of Lake County’s Kindergarten Countdown Camp (KCC)
Gurnee, North Chicago, Round Lake & Waukegan
Funding will support an in-person summer learning program for 155 incoming kindergartners with little to no preschool experience. In addition to teaching social classroom norms, the goal is to build key foundational skills such as learning shapes, letters, counting, and name writing.
$27,000 – B.E.S.T. Pre-K Program
Round Lake
Funding will continue to allow this Round Lake Park District program to provide 20 scholarships for children who otherwise would not have access to preschool. With this opportunity, children will be prepared for kindergarten and ready to learn.
$18,000 – United Way of Lake County’s Better Together program
Green Bay Early Childhood Center in North Chicago
This early learning program is for children birth to three years old and their caregivers. Each family receives resources and materials to learn, play and develop school readiness skills together. Funding will support 36 sessions. Each session will serve 10 – 12 families.
$15,000 – The Formative Years
Lake County
Funding will support the Family First Center of Lake County, which will provide bi-weekly sessions for parents and 46 children, birth to five years old, on basic skills and preschool enrichment activities to prepare them for school.
$15,000 – Mano a Mano
Lake County
Funding will support the Healthy Kids/Healthy Families initiative, which will expand literacy programs for families with children ages three to five years old through home visits. They aim to serve 29 families.
$10,000 – United Way of Lake County’s Early Learning Clubs
Waukegan Public Library
Early Learning Clubs provide bilingual opportunities for children to learn basic skills while their parents are empowered to be their child’s first teacher. Curbside pick-up of learning materials will connect more children to Early Learning Clubs.
$9,000 – Laundry Literacy
Waukegan and Zion
Funding will provide monthly programming in local laundromats and will include storytime, sing-alongs, early literacy skills, and parent-child interactions to connect with families where they gather. Designed to help prepare children for kindergarten, the program aims to serve 200 – 250 children annually.
$7,000 – Bright by Text
Lake County
Bright by Text is a national bilingual texting program that puts expert tips, games, and child development information in the hands of caregivers. Bright by Text partners with experts such as PBS, Sesame Street, the CDC, and others to develop content for families with children ages prenatal to eight.
$5,000 – HUGS/North Preschool Partnership
Waukegan
HUGS (Heroines United for Giving and Support) is a community engagement initiative of Women United where members embrace a school, project, or community with the resources and care it needs to succeed. This initiative continues to provide Early Learning Clubs at Whispering Oaks Apartments in Waukegan.
Women United of Lake County is a powerful network of over 115 women who enable each other to leverage our passions, ideas, expertise, and resources to ensure children living in Lake County’s most vulnerable communities are prepared for kindergarten and ready to succeed. Women United is a critical community within United Way of Lake County.
Thinking ahead to 2023 and beyond, Women United’s philanthropy is poised to continue to grow and mobilize community-minded women through leadership and resource development in order to expand its impact on early childhood education.
To learn how you can get involved in Women United of Lake County and to know about the Little Kids, Big Futures Philanthropy Fund Guidelines, please contact our Manager of Women United, Diana Nielander, at Diana.Nielander@uwlakeco.org.
For more information about Women United, visit: www.LIVEUNITEDlakecounty.org/womenunited
April 2022 e-Newsletter
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March 2022 e-Newsletter
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August 2021 e-Newsletter
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KCC Coordinator Spotlight: Stephanie Guadarrama
Here at United Way, we are fortunate to work with some of the most service-oriented and compassionate people. Today, we’d like to spotlight Stephanie Guadarrama, who has helped coordinate Kindergarten Countdown Camp (KCC), our free summer learning program for incoming kindergarten students with little to no preschool experience. KCC prepares students for a successful start in kindergarten. Students adjust to the classroom setting, practice following directions and rules, and practice key kindergarten skills such as recognizing shapes, letters, counting, and writing their names.
Read on to learn more about KCC and why the program is so important to the children and families involved, all from Stephanie’s perspective.
Pictured: Stephanie working with a student at Kindergarten Countdown Camp.
What is your role at KCC?
My role at KCC is Camp Coordinator. I work alongside my two colleagues, Rosa and Shareny, in preparing KCC to be held at different locations. Pre-COVID, I was able to provide additional assistance in the classroom for the teachers.
How does KCC benefit the children and families involved?
KCC is beneficial for our children and families because it helps ease those first-day jitters, especially for parents sending their first child to school. The students benefit from learning a morning routine, riding the bus, and how to make new friends. Parents can learn how to communicate and collaborate with the school.
What obstacles do families in our community face that prevent children from being prepared for kindergarten?
The main obstacle a lot of our families face is a lack of resources. Many parents have no idea where to turn or who to ask for assistance with registering for school, accessing school supply lists, finding out what the health requirements are, etc. That typically shies them away from getting their student ready for school. Not only does KCC help those students with little to no preschool experience, but KCC also guides parents in the right direction to ensure their students have a successful school year.
Could you share a success story of how KCC has benefited an individual student?
Every summer, I wonder how our students end up doing in kindergarten. Two summers ago, I had the opportunity to work for one of the school districts we held our camp in. A few of the students we had in our camp ended up attending kindergarten at the same school I was hired at. I ended up working closely with one of those students in a small group setting. My favorite success story is seeing her now, going into 2nd grade, and having been able to watch her grow and excel in school.
What has been the most memorable part of your involvement with KCC so far?
Just being in the classroom with the students (pre-COVID) and watching them actively learn and seeing their excitement for school grow!
To support more programs, like Kindergarten Countdown Camp, visit www.LIVEUNITEDlakecounty.org/give.
June 2021 e-Newsletter
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Combating Summer Learning Loss with Kindergarten Countdown Camp
Now more than ever, it’s important to learn how to combat summer learning loss and understand the impact it has on our children’s future success.
Over the course of the summer, students from low-income families lose two to three months’ worth of reading skills compared to their peers whose families are not low-income. These children have fewer books in their homes and limited opportunities to travel and experience new things. Without access to free summer learning programs, the chance of low-income students recovering from this disparity is restricted. The National Summer Learning Association describes this trend as “summer learning loss”, which is the phenomenon where young people lose academic skills over the summer. This is one of the most significant causes of the achievement gap between lower and higher-income youth. For many young people, the summer “opportunity gap” adds to the gap in achievement, employment, and college/career success affecting their future endeavors.
To address summer learning loss, United Way of Lake County developed Kindergarten Countdown Camp (KCC), an initiative under our Success By 6 program, designed to bridge the gap for Lake County’s youngest learners.
Here’s how it works:
- The free camps are open to incoming kindergartners with little to no preschool or classroom setting experience.
- Licensed teachers focus on teaching children the basic skills needed for kindergarten, such as letters, numbers, and how to write their names.
- Children learn the routine of school, develop new skills, meet new friends and realize they can succeed in a school setting.
The assessments at the end of camp consistently show that these children are now better prepared to enter kindergarten. We are thrilled that the reputation of this program has spread and principals are now asking United Way to offer KCC in their communities!
Follow United Way of Lake County on social media for updates about Kindergarten Countdown Camp.
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Sources:
- National Summer Learning Association, www.summerlearning.org/?page=know_the_facts.
