$635,000 invested in local programs to support ALICE families
STAMFORD, CT -- United Way of Western Connecticut (UWWC) announced today that they have invested $635,000 into early childhood, afterschool and educational enrichment programs in greater Danbury, greater New Milford and Stamford. All grant dollars are tied to program support for families living within the ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) income threshold (see household budget below). The grant funding period for these allocations is January 2017- June 2018.
The goal of the funding is to provide affordable childcare, early education and afterschool opportunities to families for whom these costs are burdensome. Funding also supports an ALICE Enrichment Fund that provides scholarships for educational enrichment activities for qualifying families in any of the 15 towns served by UWWC.
United Way’s funding was allocated as follows:
- A total of $316,160 is supporting scholarships for children to attend 10 early childhood programs across the region. Funding for these programs supports United Way’s goal that all children enter kindergarten with the skills needed to succeed in school.
- A total of $168,840 is invested in nine afterschool programs across the region. The purpose of this funding is to provide children with safe after-school care in an environment that provides enrichment including programs focused on health, nutrition and exercise. Funding for these programs supports United Way’s goal that children receive a foundation for successful, healthy lives.
- A total of $150,000 is invested in The ALICE Enrichment Fund (Fund) to help qualifying families offset the cost of out-of-school enrichment programs for their children. The Fund will provide families who fall within the ALICE income threshold with scholarships for their children to participate in skill-building, extracurricular activities. Nine partners that fall within UWWC’s region will administer individual Funds on a local level for 15 towns (see list that follows).
The focus on supporting ALICE families comes from United Way’s ALICE Report which revealed that one in three households in Connecticut fall at or below the ALICE income threshold and struggle to make ends meet.
“This past year, we heard overwhelmingly in our surveys and community conversations with parents across our region that a top concern is their inability to pay for childcare, afterschool care and enrichment activities for their children,” said Kimberly Morgan, CEO of UWWC. “We know that access to high-quality youth programming is crucial to a child’s academic and social success and is what sets children from lower-income families apart from their peers from upper-income families. We hope that our support can help alleviate the financial stress of ALICE families across the region by supplementing the cost of these programs and activities.”
The following is a list of funded programs:
Funded Agencies for Educational Grants from United Way of Western CT
- Abilis
- All Our Kin
- Boys & Girls Club of Stamford
- Children’s Learning Centers of Fairfield County
- Children's Center of New Milford
- Danbury Grassroots Academy
- Danbury Youth Services
- Family and Children’s Aid, Inc.
- Inspirica
- Kent Education Center & Nursery School
- New Milford Youth Agency
- Pratt Nature Center
- Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut
- Salvation Army
- Stamford Jewish Community Center
- Stamford Public Education Foundation
- Stamford YMCA
- Village Center for the Arts
ALICE Enrichment Fund Partners (Administering Agencies)
- Danbury - Danbury Youth Services, Inc
- Stamford - Person-to-Person
- New Milford, Bridgewater, Kent, Roxbury, Sherman, Warren, and Washington - MVP-SOS
- Newtown - Newtown Dept. of Social Services
- Bethel - Bethel Dept. of Social Services
- Brookfield - Brookfield Dept. of Social Services
- New Fairfield - New Fairfield Board of Education
- Ridgefield - Ridgefield Dept. of Social Services
- Redding - Redding Dept. of Social Services
ALICE Household Survival Budgets for State of Connecticut,
Various Household Sizes
ABOUT UNITED WAY OF WESTERN CONNECTICUT
United Way of Western Connecticut (UWWC) improves the lives of hard-working, struggling households by mobilizing the resources of local communities to create lasting change. We are committed to ensuring that every child enters school ready to learn, every family is financially stable and every community we serve is healthy and strong. We are the recognized leader in identifying issues and pathways to solutions. We are particularly focused on a population that United Way identifies as ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) in our communities. A United Way report published in October 2016 revealed that in Connecticut, more than 1 in 4 households has earnings above the Federal Poverty Level, but below a basic cost-of-living threshold. Combined with those who are struggling below poverty level, 38% of all households in the state are experiencing financial hardship. For more information about United Way of Western Connecticut, please visit: www.uwwesternct.org. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Instagram. Watch us on YouTube.
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Contact:
Bridget Fox
United Way of Western Connecticut
203-883-0960
Bridget.fox@uwwesternct.org
Website: www.uwwesternct.org