CONTACT: John Coughlin or Linda Lia at 715-377-0203

River Falls Area Hospital, Family Resource Center and United Way Announce Success By 6 Partnership

River Falls Area Hospital, Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley and United Way St. Croix Valley have announced plans to implement a new Success By 6 program for infants. A Parent Educator from the Family Resource Center will meet with the families of newborns during their hospital stay, and weekly “Baby and Me” classes for parents and their infant children will be offered throughout the year.

Success By 6 is an initiative that aims to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood development, increase access to services, and advocate for public policies to improve young children’s lives. United Way’s Success By 6 initiative is now in more than 300 communities nationwide. United Way St. Croix Valley’s Board made a commitment to strengthen early childhood development, and selected a local board to guide those efforts.

River Falls Area Hospital will help put the recommendations of the Success By 6 work team into practice. The work team, comprised of healthcare and early childhood development professionals, met over a period of several months in 2006 to determine what services would have the greatest impact on new families. Their unanimous recommendation was that new parents receive information about the programs and services that will best meet their family’s needs.

“We know that the quality of life for a child and the contributions the child makes later in life can be traced to the first few years of life. Our partnership with United Way and the River Falls Area Hospital is the community link that will help parents provide the best start possible for their children – right from birth,” says Patty Draxler, Executive Director of the Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley.

Leading research on brain development shows that early experiences have a dramatic impact on the brain. Family Resource Center’s Parent Educators use research-based curriculum to provide age appropriate information to parents, children’s first and best teachers.

The in-hospital visit and Baby and Me classes are both facilitated by a Family Resource Center Infant Specialist. These new services complement existing programs, which include pre-natal classes and parent education classes. The hospital and Family Resource Center will track outcomes of the program to measure success.

River Falls Area Hospital made a two-year commitment to fund this infant/family support program. United Way St. Croix Valley will match these funds. Heather Logelin, Foundation Director at River Falls Area Hospital, is excited about the way Success By 6 uses a regional approach to early childhood programs. “The United Way brought together people from throughout our area to look at how we can provide a seamless network of services to families with young children. We are pleased to offer this new service to our patients, and we are also happy that some parts of the program – like the Baby and Me classes – will be open to the broader community.”

United Way St. Croix Valley Executive Director John M. Coughlin is pleased to see the partnership progress. “I am thrilled that River Falls Area Hospital has agreed to fully implement the recommendations of our Success By 6 work team. The Success By 6 Leadership Board and I believe that this is going to provide a very real and tangible benefit for children born at the hospital,” Coughlin says.

The next phase of Success By 6 will involve convening a work team to review existing services for one to three-year-olds. The team will recommend strategies to best meet the developmental needs of children in this age group.

For more information about Success By 6, visit www.unitedwaystcroix.org/success_by_6.htm, or call 715-377-0203 ext. 102.

March 8, 2007

Baldwin Area Medical Center, Family Resource Center and United Way Announce Success By 6 Partnership

Baldwin Area Medical Center, Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley and United Way St. Croix Valley have announced plans to implement a new Success By 6 (SB6) program for infants.  A Parent Educator from the Family Resource Center will meet with the families of newborns during their hospital stay.    

Success By 6 is an initiative that aims to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood development, increase access to services, and advocate for public policies to improve young children’s lives.  United Way’s SB6 initiative is now in more than 300 communities nationwide. United Way St. Croix Valley’s Board made a commitment to strengthen early childhood development, and selected a local board to guide those efforts.   

Baldwin Area Medical Center is the first area hospital to put the recommendations of the SB6 work team into practice.  The healthcare and early childhood development professionals met over a period of several months in 2006 to determine what services would have the greatest impact on new families.  Their unanimous recommendation was that new parents receive information about the programs and services that will best meet their family’s needs.

   “We know that the quality of life for a child and the contributions the child makes later in life can be traced to the first few years of life.  Our partnership with SB6 and the Baldwin Area Medical

 Center will help parents provide the best start possible for their children—right from birth,” says Patty Draxler, Executive Director of the Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley.   

Leading research on brain development shows that early experiences have a dramatic impact on the brain.  Family Resource Center’s Parent Educators use research-based curriculum to provide age appropriate information to parents, children’s first and best teachers.  

The in-hospital visit by a Family Resource Center Infant Specialist complements existing programs, which include pre-natal classes, parent-child play groups, parent education classes and home visits. The hospital and Family Resource Center will track outcomes of the program to measure success.

 Baldwin Area Medical Center made a two-year commitment to fund this infant/family support program.  United Way St. Croix Valley will match these funds.

 United Way St. Croix Valley Executive Director John M. Coughlin is pleased to see the partnership progress.  “I am thrilled that the Baldwin Area Medical Center is the first local hospital that has agreed to fully implement the recommendations of our Success By 6 work team.  The Success By 6 Leadership Board and I believe that this is going to provide a very real and tangible benefit for children born at the Baldwin Area Medical Center,” Coughlin says.

 United Way hopes that other area hospitals will follow Baldwin’s lead in providing in-hospital visits.  The next phase of SB6 will involve convening a work team to review existing services for one to three-year-olds.   The team will recommend strategies to best meet the developmental needs of children in this age group.

 For more information about Success By 6, visit www.unitedwaystcroix.org/success_by_6.htm, or call 715-377-0203 ext. 102.

For Immediate Release 7/19/06 Contact Linda Lia

Success By 6: Reaching Children in Western Wisconsin

Success By 6: Reaching Children in Western Wisconsin For United Way St. Croix Valley and its partners in Success By 6, what a child learns and experiences before the age of six will shape the future of our community.

Success By 6 is an initiative that aims to raise awareness of the importance of early childhood development, increase access to services, and advocate for public policies and improving systems – budgets, laws and supports – to improve young children’s lives.

How does Success By 6 plan to accomplish this? After researching the needs of Western Wisconsin children, the Success By 6 Work Team has established four priorities for Western Wisconsin. • Parent educators link face-to-face with parents at hospitals and the Women, Infant and Children clinics. • Parents have the opportunity for parent-child play groups and parent education classes (including evenings and weekends) in every community. • Parents have the opportunity for home visits with a parent educator. • A listing of local resources and contacts is available for parents (on a large magnet) and distributed through hospitals, clinics and agencies.

“We believe that supporting young children and their families will provide an incredible, measurable results,” John Coughlin, United Way St. Croix Valley Executive Director, said.

Mary Sue Ash, Success By 6 Coordinator, adds, “An ongoing, coordinated, collaborative, seamless and universal system for parents is needed. The most effective means to engage and motivate parents is through early personal contact with early childhood professionals and interaction with other parents.”

To accomplish this, the task force has recommended a system that will give parents the opportunity to meet with a parent educator after deliveries at Hudson Hospital, Westfields (New Richmond), and River Falls Area Hospital. The infant specialist will meet with parents at Baldwin Area Medical Center concurrent with the one-month hearing screening appointment.

Art Rolnick, a senior economist at the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank and early childhood development proponent, will talk about the importance of programs and intervention for young children at a United Way St. Croix Valley hosted luncheon September 13th. Rolnick has estimated that investment in quality early childhood development programs provides a 12% rate of public return on investment.

For more information on Success By 6 in your town, contact United Way St. Croix Valley at 715-377-0203, or visit our website at www.unitedwaystcroix.org.

November 18, 2005 

United Way's Success By 6tm Development Committee Completes Work

The twenty-person Success By 6tm Development Committee celebrated the completion of ten months of work at a luncheon at the Hudson Golf Club. The committee was charged with developing the vision, priority issues, desired outcomes and an action plan for an on-going Success By 6tm initiative. Mary Sue Ash, facilitator for the process, will present the committee's recommendations to the United Way of St. Croix County Board of Directors in January.

The vision for the local Success By 6tm (SB6) effort is: All children in St. Croix County with the strong support of family and community will, by age six, have the necessary physical, mental, emotional and social development to successfully grow and learn. Two priority issues were also identified by the group: 1) Communities will understand the importance of the early childhood years and work to strengthen programs and services; 2) Parents and caregivers will have the knowledge and training to provide children with safe, stable and supportive environments.

United Way Executive Director, John Coughlin led the group through a discussion of the resolutions that will go to the United Way Board. The SB6 Development Committee recommended that United Way roll out new programs and broaden agency partnerships -more- over a six year period that basically follows the stages of a child's development from prenatal to school-aged. The group also recommended that ongoing guidance for the initiative be provided by a Success By 6tm Leadership Committee whose membership will include representatives from United Way, business, government, education and non-profit sectors. The work of developing and implementing particular facets of the initiative will be done by Success By 6tm Work Teams. The teams will be comprised of members with expertise or interest in a particular aspect of SB6 under development.

The group commended United Way of St. Croix County for its commitment to strengthening programs and services for young children. Members encouraged United Way to devote as much time and financial resources as possible in order to raise community awareness of the importance of early childhood programs and to engage a broad cross-section of partners in this effort. Coughlin expressed his gratitude to the committee and requested their continued support for Success By 6tm during its implementation in the coming years. Mary Sue Ash was thanked for skillfully guiding the committee's work.

Donning coats and gloves, committee members went outside to set children's balloons aloft to symbolize their hope that all children will rise to incredible heights because of the community's commitment to help every child succeed.

Anyone interested in supporting Success By 6 or participating in a Work Team is encouraged to call United Way at 715-377-0203. -30- Photo Caption: Members of the Success By 6tm Development Committee launched balloons to celebrate. Committee members were: Mary Sue Ash, United Way; Jerry Bauer, 3M Company; Gretchen Bell, Youth and Families Initiative, New Richmond; Kelly Bengtson, Nuclear Management Company, Hudson; Debbie Brennan, Parents as Partners, New Richmond; John Coughlin, United Way; Sue Curtis, New Richmond School District; Mary Donatelle, Head Start, New Richmond; Patty Draxler, Family Resource Center St. Croix Valley, Baldwin; Vivian Hart, United Way; Rusty Helland, Baldwin-Woodville School District; Wendy Kramer, St. Croix County Public Health; Jim Landes, Somerset School District (Retired); Mary Lestrud, UW-Extension, Baldwin; Dottie Lillo, Child Care Partnership Resource and Referral, Eau Claire; Sharon Metcalf, Turningpoint, River Falls; Jean Needham (Char Mayry, alternate) Holy Family Hospital, New Richmond; Betty Jean Smith, Baldwin-Woodville School District; Nancy Sweet, Hudson School District and Jim Vigars, S&C Banco, New Richmond.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Vivian Hart March 18, 2005 715-377-0203

United Way's Success By Six Receives National Award

At its national convention earlier this month, Parents As Teachers (PAT) presented United Way of America's President Brian Gallagher with the Child and Family Advocacy Award in recognition of Success By 6 programs that are run by local United Ways. Success By 6 is a national, community-based early childhood development movement.

Locally, United Way of St. Croix County has begun its own Success By 6 initiative by forming a steering committee. Its members represent a variety of public and private partners, including St. Croix Family Resource Center which is part of the PAT national organization.

"The St. Croix Family Resource Center is proud to partner with our local United Way as well as United Ways across the country to support Success By 6," said Patty Draxler, Executive Director of the St. Croix Family Resource Center. "We want to get out the message that a child's first years are crucial to later success in school and in life."

United Way's Success By 6 Steering Committee, made up of twenty people representing a cross section of the County, has created a community-wide vision for young children. All children in St. Croix County by age 6, with the strong support of family and community, will have the necessary physical, mental, emotional and social development to successfully grow and learn.

Hired by United Way to develop a first year strategic plan for Success By 6, Mary Sue Ash has been assisting the steering committee with its work since January, when the group met for the first in a series of ten monthly meetings. According to Ash, the steering committee is following a step-by-step plan and has already identified priority issues that it will be focusing on in the upcoming months

"We hope to build community awareness and support as well as ensure that caregivers create quality early learning opportunities for young children," says Ash.

The efforts of Success By 6 are intended to improve the lives of children and families by offering strategies that result in unique solutions. United Way of St. Croix County, through its role as community catalyst and convener, will continue to provide an equal voice to everyone involved in the lives of young children.

For more information about United Way of St. Croix County and Success By 6, contact John Coughlin or Vivian Hart at 715-377-0203.

December 8, 2004

United Way Hires Contractor for New Success By 6^tm Initiative

Just like more than 300 United Ways in cities and counties across the nation, United Way of St. Croix County's Success By 6tm initiative will unite caring communities to ensure that all children have the support that they need to succeed. No two Success By 6tm efforts are exactly alike; each collaboratively creates their own community-wide vision for early childhood.

Last May, United Way convened a group from throughout St. Croix County with expertise in early childhood issues. They determined that there were gaps in services that could be provided or expanded. The stakeholders also noted that there is a lack of coordination of both information and services.

To build on the groundwork done by the early childhood group, Mary Sue Ash has been hired By United Way of St. Croix County to identify community assets and shortcomings and develop a first year strategic plan for Success By 6tm. Ash says that her first challenge will be to form a steering committee to set community priorities that could impact all families.

"It really does take a whole community to grow healthy kids. It's critical, then, to identify a list of willing people that represent a cross section of this community-business, education, parents, media, faith, government. All the stakeholders are needed to create the best community-wide vision for early childhood."

Ash is not new to United Way. She was an active member of the United Way of St. Croix County Board for six years. This year, Ash and her husband Chuck, Plant Manager of Donaldson Company in Baldwin, have served as United Way campaign co-chairs.

Retiring this past year from her position as Director of Pupil Services for the Baldwin-Woodville School District, Ash is currently a Disability Consultant for CESA 11's Head Start programs. She is serving on the Hudson School District Facilities Task Force, is a founder of the St. Croix Family Resource Center and the St. Croix County Early Childhood Interagency Council. Ash is also former Director of the second largest Head Start program in Iowa.

United Way of St. Croix County is committed to focusing on issues that impact children, the future of our communities," said John Coughlin, United Way's Executive Director. "We are pleased that Mary Sue Ash, someone with a commitment to young children and their issues, has agreed to help us launch the Success By 6tm initiative.

For more information about United Way of St. Croix County and Success By 6tm, contact Coughlin or Vivian Hart at 715-377-0203.

United Way launched a major new initiative designed to ensure that all children will succeed when they begin school.  Plans for Success by 6^tm were unveiled at a half-day planning meeting in late May, 2004.  Local educators, nonprofit leaders, county and healthcare professionals and others joined United Way staff to discuss the needs of area children.  A steering committee was established and will begin meeting regularly in the fall.  The steering committee will review existing programs and look for gaps in services.

United Way of St. Croix County plans to double its current $25,000 annual investment in young children.  United Way funds a variety of early childhood programs ranging from parenting newsletters and home visits for new parents, to Head Start’s First Books program.   The St. Croix Family Resource Center is a key partner in United Way’s effort to help every child be successful in school.