Who We Fight For

Who We Fight For

Aries Conquers Her Fears

When Abby began volunteering as a United Way ReadUP tutor, she was partnered with Aries. “My first day I was very, very nervous and unsure of what to expect,” Abby admitted. But Aries’ lively and funny personality quickly put Abby at ease and she couldn’t wait to get to started.

One of the first things Abby noticed was Aries’ fear of chapter books. She didn’t know if she could read them so she would often avoid them completely. Abby wanted to help Aries conquer her fear, and she convinced her to just start reading a little bit out of “Clementine” by Sara Pennypacker. As Aries continued, her confidence improved and it was a familiar look to Abby. “It reminded me of my own childhood and finding an author I really liked,” Abby said.

When Aries finished the book, Abby couldn’t have been more proud. “It was great being able to come in each week and see how much she had grown,” Abby said. “I am so thankful to have been able to witness all that she accomplished and conquered.”

Because of Abby’s dedication and strong ReadUP programming, Aries’ test scores have improved drastically, she is on track with grade-level literacy and has a newfound love for reading! The program has proven benefits for students - academically and personally. But, for volunteers like Abby, the impact can be equally as meaningful.

Program helps the community "Earn it, Keep it, Grow it"

The Centers for Working Families (CWF) are friendly neighborhood centers where hardworking, low-income families can access a full range of services to help lift them out of poverty and achieve long-term financial stability.

CWF provides people with the tools they need to increase their income (“EARN IT”), reduce expenses (“KEEP IT”), and build wealth (“GROW IT”) for their families. The CWF network in Indianapolis is composed of eight neighborhood based centers that transition families from living paycheck to paycheck to investing in their future.

CWF provides low-income, working families with services across three areas: employment and career advancement, financial literacy and coaching, and access to income supports. By bundling such programs, the centers can provide one-stop convenience for families in search of help, a coaching approach which has produced gains in job placement, net income and credit score gains of Indianapolis families.

Services at each center provide a framework to help people gain and maintain employment and increase their earning potential; sign up for public benefits and earned income tax credits for which they are eligible; and increase their financial literacy skills with one-on-one coaching so they can build their assets long-term through savings and home ownership.

Supporting high-quality early childhood education for all families

For Indiana's children to succeed in school and in life, high-quality child care and early education is critical. But far too many families in our community are unable to afford the costs. In turn, the child’s education suffers, and a barrier is created just as they begin their path to self-sufficiency.

In 2015, Marion County was selected as one of five pilot counties eligible for the state-run On My Way Pre-K scholarships, awarding qualifying low-income families in Marion County with full pre-K scholarships for their 4-year-old children.

Shortly after, Indianapolis adopted the city’s first-ever preschool program: Indianapolis Preschool Scholarship Program (IPSP). And, United Way of Central Indiana had the unique opportunity to serve as the administrator, overseeing the application, outreach, capacity-building and evaluation processes. In its first year of implementation, IPSP received 5,066 applications from eligible families, with funding that allowed us to enroll 1,525 students.

In April of 2017, the General Assembly voted to double Indiana’s pre-k program for low-income children. Led by United Way, the #AllIN4Prek coalition of corporate partners, educators and civic organizations successfully lobbied for doubling the funding to $22 million and expanding the state’s On My Way Pre-K program from 5 to 20 counties.

While we are making an impact, we need your help to expand the number of students participating in these programs. Please join us in advocating for the state of Indiana to appropriate funding for all 4-year-olds from low-income families without access to other resources to receive a high-quality early childhood education focused on kindergarten readiness.