Sunday, March 6th began the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in Washington, DC. The opening breakfast and plenary housed a packed room with over 500 employees, volunteers, fellows, and execs from 45 states and a wide-ranging variety of organizations fighting tirelessly to "End Hunger by 2015."

Over the course of three days workshops and training programs provided in-depth knowledge and training on communications, advocacy strategies, research, data use, child nutrition, programs, legislative discussions, capacity building and information on SNAP, and CACFP, to name a few. Luncheons included speakers like Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who spoke to the importance of Hill visits and the work that the organizations were doing to help Americans win the war against hunger.


Carrie Leach
carrie.leach@liveunitedsem.org

My son, Tommy, is 5 and in kindergarten at Monteith School in the Grosse Pointe School District. This week, I learned that the School Board approved all day kindergarten for all students, beginning in 2010-2011.  That's a good thing - studies show that all day kindergarten improves academic outcomes for students beyond kindergarten.  Grosse Pointe Schools isn't perfect, but it does provide a quality learning experience for children.  Tommy is in a class with 22 other children.  His teacher, Mrs. DiVirgil has an aide, Mrs. Farnsworth, who supports the classroom throughout most of the day.  The children follow high curriculum standards (Tommy can count to 100 by 2!), time for play, specials (library, art, gym, music) and access to high quality learning materials.

Contrast that with the Detroit Public Schools.  In the same week that I learned about GPS, I also heard from several DPS kindergarten teachers about the status of kindergarten in Detroit:

• "I have 30 students in my classroom"
• "We have no aides/staff support"
• "Children are coming to class without the knowledge how to hold a pencil or a book"
• "Parents are uninvolved"
• "I had a student show up one day, then not show up again until 60+ days later"
• "One child the other day hit another child in the head with a chair"
• "I can tell the difference between a child that went to preschool and a child that didn't"
• "All we can do is crowd control, forget about actually supporting children's learning"

Where did we see those savings? In K-12 Education ($221 million), Reduced Govt Spending and Increased Tax Revenues ($594 million), and Reduced Social Costs to Public ($347 million).

An estimated 80,000 adults, ages 18-29, are in the labor force today are high school graduates who likely would have dropped out of school if not for Michigan's investment in early childhood education. The estimated economic impact is $1.3 billion annually, including the $584 million in reduced govt spending and increased tax revenues and $700 million in additional wages they have generated.

Let's continue to realize costs savings and increased revenue in Michigan.  We must maintain and increase public and private investments in early childhood programs that work - including preschool (Head Start and Great Start Readiness Programs) and child care quality improvement initiatives, like QRIS and United Way's Early Learning Communities program. 

Panera Bread is supporting United Way for Southeastern Michigan's Early Learning Communities program by hosting FREE Family Fun Days on the second Saturday of each month during the school year. 

From 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on select dates, children will participate in educational crafts and reading activities. While the children play, parents will have the opportunity to learn about the Early Learning Communities program and how to best prepare children for school. The events are open to all ages.

United Way for Southeastern Michigan is Panera Bread’s Operation Dough-Nation® partner in metro Detroit. For all donations made to Panera’s Community Breadbox, located near the registers, Panera matches a portion back to UWSEM.

Panera Family Fun Day dates and locations:

Feb. 13 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Rochester Hills, 2508 S. Adams Rd.

March 13 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Southgate, 13665 Eureka Rd.

April 10 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera locations:

Dearborn Heights, 26580 Ford Rd.

Sterling Heights, 36808 Van Dyke Ave.

Livonia, 37091 Six Mile Rd.

Farmington Hills, 37611 Twelve Mile Rd.

Allen Park, 3112 Fairlane Dr.

May 8 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Roseville, 31960 Gratiot Ave.

June 12 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Southfield, 23719 Greenfield Rd. (between 9½ Mile and Greenfield, located in a shopping plaza)

Sept. 11 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera locations:

Woodhaven, 23061 Allen Rd.

Troy, 823 East Big Beaver Rd. (located in the Troy Commons Plaza)

Oct. 9 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Livonia, 28551 Schoolcraft Rd.

Nov. 13 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera location:

Farmington Hills – KT Plaza, 34635 Grand River Ave.

Dec. 11 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Panera locations:

Orion, 4804 S. Baldwin Rd.

Canton, 41950 Ford Rd.

In Michigan, 65,000 children in poverty are supported by the child care subsidy program. 65% of these children are being cared for by family, friends and neighbors. In Metro Detroit, we have about 15,000 FFN subsidy providers.

They (FFNs) have an important job - providing high quality early learning development opportunities for the children in their care, setting the foundation for success in both school and life. The problem is, most of them aren't aware of this most important role. They see themselves as helping out their daughter, friend or neighbor who's looking for or is working. In addition, they are at a significant disadvantage - in poverty, undereducated, in crisis - to focus on being a quality caregiver.

The only way to get to school readiness is to have caregivers that support a child's learning and development. Since 2008, United Way has been supporting caregivers through the Early Learning Communities program - a quality improvement initiative providing training, resources and support to all caregivers delivered by neighborhood-based hubs.

The state of Michigan has also entered the arena of quality improvement by requiring that all FFN subsidy providers receive mandated training.  We are at the beginning of a cultural transformation - that training and continued learning are essential to be quality caregivers.

This morning, I attended an informational session hosted by one of our Hub Partners at a Detroit child care center.  More than 100 FFN subsidy providers attended.  Yes, they were there because DHS is requiring them to take training.  Yes, many of them were frustrated and annoyed.  But they showed up and they registerd for training.  Not just the mandated training, but also the child development courses that ELC offers.  

In Metro Detroit so far, 500-750 have signed up for training.  We have a long way to go.  But we're going to achieve our ultimate goal:  improving the quality of early care and education that our most vulnerable children receive so that they have the proper foundation for school and life success. 

I read an article this morning that’s been passed around Twitter since it was published, about how the number of first-time homeless people are soaring in metro Detroit.  Below are the main points quoted from the Detroit Free Press (full article here):

• The number of people who say they are homeless for the first time is increasing in metro Detroit, spurred by unemployment and foreclosures, experts say.
• In Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties, advocates say people who are homeless for the first-time make up 20% to 40% of those seeking services, out of more than 10,000 homeless people in metro Detroit.
• Jason Weller, executive director of the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, said estimates for 2009 are expected to increase by at least 10%. 

With all the contributing factors that define a “poor economy”, many people who until now thought their basic needs were a given, are forced to rely on the help of others to sustain themselves and their families.

 “...many who previously had jobs, cars and homes -- are straining already crowded shelters, having worn out their welcome with family and friends, and are unable to come up with money for motel rooms or gas for their cars.”  

No matter what kind of work you're involved in, it is important- now more than ever - for nonprofits and individuals to be capacity-builders. We need to daily consider how we can make deposits into other people’s work and lives, and help them do what they do better. We need to be willing to shift gears, take risks, and respond to the growing need in new ways.

GIVE
Build capacity through a financial gift to a family or organization you trust.


ADVOCATE
Identify one person who could use a boost and advocate for his needs within your personal and professional networks. 


VOLUNTEER
While money can be a quick and necessary fix, giving of the intangibles (our time, our priorities, our strengths, our personal space) has the power to plant seeds that will bear lasting fruit in people’s lives. Consider who you are as an individual and what you bring to the table, then block out some time to give it away (seriously, put it on the calendar). If you’re not sure where to volunteer, find out who needs an extra set of hands in your area: www.volunteersolutions.org/uwsem  

John Azoni assists in working on solutions to homelessness in Detroit through United Way for Southeastern Michigan's 2-1-1 service. For more information, check out http://uwsem.org/211, or follow @UnitedWayJohn on Twitter.

Click here for part one of the Digital meet 'n' greet

Since I'll be the one taking you on this digital meet 'n' greet tour of United Way, maybe I should tell you a little about me first. My name is Ursula Adams and I'm the United Way for Southeastern Michigan webmaster. You can call me the Digital Diva.

In my role as webmaster at United Way, I review every piece of electronic communication that comes to us via the website. If you fill out one of our contact forms, or make a donation, or comment on a blog post, or sign up for a newsletter or send a letter to your Senator using our online tools, I see it.

I monitor all the conversations that are taking place on the web about our organization as well. If there's a blog post, or comment on a news story, or a Tweet about United Way, chances are, I see that too.

It's one of my favorite, and least favorite, parts of my job.

It's my favorite because, admittedly, I'm nosey. I just like knowing what's going on. But, more than that, I love connecting with those that care enough about the work this organization and its volunteers are doing to drop us an email or make a donation or write about their experience with us online. I believe in the good work of United Way and I like to meet like-minded folks.

But then there are the naysayers and they make this part of my job so very unpleasant.

There's a great study that was released this week by the University of California, Berkley and covered by the New York Times, Hispanic Immigrants' Children Fall Behind Peer Early, Study Finds.  

What researchers discovered is that while Hispanic children are born healthy and on par with other American children, by age 2 they fall behind - and stay behind academically.  What makes this so?  Poverty is, of course, a factor.  Another is that Hispanic mothers tend to have less formal schooling.  

In United Way's experience working with this targeted population, we would offer a couple of other reasons:  1) many Hispanic moms are very doting to their children and are quick to anticipate their children's needs before they are able to verbalize them; and 2) many tend to do everything for their children, hindering their problem solving opportunities, which are so important to brain development.

How do we close the gap?  By giving Hispanic families of young children, birth to age 5, the knowledge, resources and support they need to support their childrens' learning and development. United Way's Early Learning Communities program is run by community-based organizations and embedded in neighborhoods, making it accessible and culturally appropriate to parents and caregivers.  

Our Hispanic participants have been very enthusiastic about all that they are learning and we're confident that we are closing the gap in linguistic and cognitive development for Hispanic children.