United Way of the Midlands Blog

Research has shown a child’s brain develops most dramatically during the first five years of life. High quality early childhood experiences, inside and outside the home, can support future academic success.  In fact, quality learning experiences are linked to higher vocabulary scores, cognitive achievement, and math and language abilities.

Watch a video about how the first five years of a child’s life can impact their future. Change the First Five Years and You Change Everything

Selecting a child care program is one of the most important decisions you will make as a parent.  Centers will vary considerably in terms of accreditation, licensure, and curriculum.  In 2010, The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies ranked South Carolina 38^th in terms of quality of child care centers.  When choosing a child care center in SC, parents should pay particular attention to: educational attainment of directors, annual training requirements for teachers, and appropriate staff to child ratios.  The below questions are meant to help parents better judge quality when considering which child care program is right for your child. Parents should always visit programs under consideration and utilize the below checklist to help evaluate quality.

Will my child be supervised?

• Are children watched at all times, including when they are sleeping?
• Do adults avoid yelling, spanking and other negative consequences?

Is this a safe and healthy place for my child?

• Are all children immunized?
• Have adults had criminal background checks?
• Staff to child ratio?

Is the program working to achieve the highest level of quality in the state?

• Is the staff evaluated annually?
• Are parents asked to evaluate the program?

Does the program work well with parents?

• Am I welcome at any time my child is in care?
• Does the program have regular parent meetings?

Will my child be able to grow and learn?

• Do teachers read to children at least twice a day?
• Are daily and weekly activity plans available?

Have adults been trained and educated on how to care for children?

• Does the director have a degree or experience in child care?
• Do the teachers have current CPR and first aid training?

National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week is coming up the week of November 13^th – 20^th.  United Way of the Midlands and Harvest Hope Food Bank are partnering to launch the SNAP Challenge during the week.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, has served as the foundation of America’s national nutrition safety net, working to end hunger and improve the health of low-income people by helping families buy the food they need.

The SNAP Challenge asks participants to live on the same budget as people living on food stamps, approximately $4 per person per day for a week.  The Challenge is not meant to be an exact replica of the experience of people depending on SNAP, but to bring awareness to how we all make food choices and how more limited resources affect those choices. Again, the Challenge is not meant to completely and 100% accurately reflect the experience of living on SNAP, but to provide a similar experience.  It’s not exact and not a science – just meant to challenge your perceptions of poverty.

Why take the Challenge? With the 2012 proposed budget, cuts are expected in SNAP, the Commodities Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) that serves seniors, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TEFAP), and Emergency Food and Shelter funds.  The community must urge elected officials to understand how these cuts effect working families struggling to make ends meet.  Current safety net programs are already stretched thin – our struggling families cannot endure additional cuts. Also, the SNAP Challenge emphasizes the importance (and difficulty) of healthy food choices on a limited budget.  During the week, we will provide education materials on healthy cooking on a budget and host a cooking demonstration in partnership with the State Farmers Market with a local chef.

If you would like to participate in the Midlands SNAP Challenge please notify Jennifer Moore, United Way of the Midlands, at jmoore@uway.org.

Click here to sign up for Day of Actoin

Chris Long pulled into the Carolina Children’s Home last April to volunteer for United Way’s Day of Action. He and 20 SCANA employees left behind their work for the day to refurbish the living quarters for displaced teens.

The day began with a tour of the 50-acre complex. Volunteers learned about the Carolina Children’s Home’s 100-year history of housing teens with nowhere else to go. They saw the bleak conditions the teens called home. Bleak or not, it was a safer, more stable home than from where they came.

Chris and his co-workers spent hours painting inspirational quotes in the five living quarters and cafeteria.

By 3 p.m. the teens arrived “home” from school. That got Chris wondering, “Did I ever realize in high school that the kid next to me in class may not live at home with a family?”

SCANA volunteers treated the teens to ice cream sundaes. Chris started talking to the teens and realized all of them had afterschool jobs. Some worked at the corner pantry, some at the nearby grocery store and others in restaurants nearby.

When the day came to an end, Chris said, “My eyes have been opened.”

Chris had lived within a mile of the Carolina Children’s Home for over 14 years. He drove past it every day. He shopped at the corner pantry and the grocery store that employed the teens. Yet, he never knew anything about this place right in his backyard.

United Way’s Day of Action gives us the opportunity to lend a hand to our community’s non-profits. But it also does so much more. Day of Action educates us about the need in our community and the non-profits that work tirelessly to help that need.

The next time Chris drove past the Carolina Children’s Home, he knew exactly what was behind the brick fence.

Every time Chris goes into the corner pantry or grocery store, he can’t help but wonder if the teen serving him calls the Carolina Children’s Home home.

United Way’s next Day of Action is Friday, October 21 from 9 am- noon. Over 350 volunteers are needed to volunteer at 40 non-profits. If you or your company wants to get involved, please register at www.uway.org/volunteer.