• Metro United Way was awarded a fourth early childhood grant from Louisville Metro Government’s Early Learning American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to support an early childhood workforce study. MUW’s three other ARP-funded early childhood grants are to support the expansion of developmental screenings, natural playground builds, and family engagement support for child care providers are all underway with the strategic partners for each project.
• To help children in the early childhood space in surrounding counties we have joined the Early Childhood Regional Collaboratives in Oldham, Bullitt, and Shelby Counties
• Our public policy team is working with our Ready for K Alliance partners to conduct an analysis of their policy agenda which will be ready for the next legislative session in 2024.
• We are launching, along with Ready for K Alliance partners, our year four of Louisville Growing Readers with a focus on partnering with grassroots organizations and community partners to bring 100 books into families homes that don’t have access to libraries. This is important because research shows that when kids have 100 books in the home their grade-level reading improves by 1.5 years.
• Every other week MUW’s early childhood team is participating in Mayor Greenberg’s Early Learning Action Group to develop an implementation plan to expand quality early learning for all three and four-year-olds in Jefferson County.
• Our team serving youth age 6 – 24 is planning for the upcoming year (August – May) with our incredible network of youth-serving organizations – more than 100 in all!
• Our team with our developmental screening initiative, called Ages & Stages (ASQ), participated in the Kentucky Science Center’s Touch a Truck and distributed 400 Books and Bubbles to families. The books and bubbles were labeled with the QR Code to the ASQ website for parents and caregivers to participate in this free screener. A month later, we are still receiving enrollment requests. We also attended the Western Library Block party, signed up families, and gave away 200 books and bubbles.
• A mom of four children who began using the ASQ developmental screener in 2018, has completed a total of 34 questionnaires and said that she has not received the same book twice! Parents and caregivers are sent free books and activities along with the questionnaires to track their children’s development.
  • Another mom said, “Through this program and my advocate I have seen that he has way more to show me.”​
  • Check out this great story and testimonial from a parent:

    

• Check out this great story (actually SIX stories) from some of our work to help families that are homeless and school instability:

  

• For the new American Rescue Plan (ARP) Healthcare Workforce Innovation Coalition initiative, we will be leading the coordination of financial coaching support for individuals participating in workforce training, connecting fundraising support to entrepreneurs from marginalized communities, and coordinating consultation for employers to promote inviting workplaces for the diverse populations. Read more about this $40 million investment in our community HERE.

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• We recently wrapped up a pilot initiative focused on homeownership in Southern Indiana. This 12-month initiative walked alongside participating families creating a specific roadmap leading to successful homeownership. We are excited to report that there is one family that is an extremely excited and proud first-time homeowner! There are five additional families who are now pre-approved and shopping for their perfect home.
• Save the Date: Metro United Way Day of Action will take place on Friday, September 22, 2023, 1 – 4pm. The application for nonprofit agencies who would like to host a project will be open July 27 – August 11. Registration for workplace teams will take place August 23 – September 16. For more information contact Margaret Seifert at margaret.seifert@metrounitedway.org.