Creating home and school environments for prepared, successful children
We are currently working on the following initiatives and programs.
Your gift toward Community Impact or Education Impact areas supports the following programs. If you would like to find out more about how to give to, or advocate or volunteer for any of the following programs and initiatives, please contact us. Also view our Income Impact Programs and Health Impact Programs.
Boys and Girls Club of Elgin
355 Dundee Ave., Elgin • (847) 608-5017 • www.boysandgirlsclubofelgin.org
Building Future Leaders
Boys & Girls Club of Elgin provides all kids access to quality after-school programs in an environment that promotes respect, education and fun. Club programs are offered in four locations: the Clubhouse; Ellis Middle School, Kimball Middle School and Larsen Middle School. The Club offers a multitude of different programs for its members. Staff is trained to coach, mentor and inspire kids to help them make good choices, use good judgment and learn to take responsibility for their actions.
Easter Seals DuPage and Fox Valley Region - Jayne Shover Center
799 S. McLean Boulevard, Elgin • (847) 742-3264• www.eastersealsdfvr.org
Make the First Five Count
Easter Seals offers a comprehensive Early Intervention program serving children ages birth to five years old. The program provides weekly therapy in the home to children ages birth to three with developmental disabilities who have been referred by Child and Family Connections. Children ages three to five receive treatment at Easter Seals’ Jayne Shover Center. Teams of therapists and other health professionals help each child overcome obstacles to independence and maximize their potential.
One Hope United
210 National Street, Elgin • (847) 697-7100 • www.onehopeunited.org
Elgin Child & Family Resource Center
Elgin Child & Family Resource Center, formally known as Elgin Daycare Center, provides high-quality, accessible, and affordable child care for low-income, at-risk infants and toddlers. The program helps children achieve age-appropriate social-emotional, physical, cognitive, and language developmental milestones that will lead to success in kindergarten and beyond.
Youth Leadership Academy
410 Renner Drive, Elgin • (847) 214-6910 • www.ylaecc.org
Tutoring Assistance
The program offered at Elgin Community College provides proactive support to Youth Leadership cadets to make positive academic progress in order to best prepare for college. Cadets receive tutoring two Saturdays per month.
YWCA Elgin
220 East Chicago Street, Elgin • (847) 742-7930 • www.ywcaelgin.org
School Age Child Care
The DCFS-licensed after school program serves children ages 5 to 12. The program provides a safe place for children, helping to empower low-income working parents and their families as they transition into the workplace. The program offers: breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks on no-school days, all-day care on most no-school days, a sliding fee scale based on income and family size, van pick-up at most Elgin schools and homework assistance.
Family Literacy
The Family Literacy program at the YWCA Elgin serves to strengthen the local community by building families that participate in education together. This program offers adult ESL classes, provides preschool to the children while parents receive ESL instruction, and offers parenting classes and parent–child interactive time to the ESL families and their children.
Special Education Initiatives
Getting Ready for Kindergarten Calendar
The Education Impact Council developed the Getting Ready for Kindergarten Calendar. The calendar is targeted for 4 and 5 year olds who are preparing to enter kindergarten. The calendar contains ideas for fun activities that develop a variety of skills, kindergarten registration and other school information, recommended books, local resources and useful websites. Each month focuses on a different learning topic with suggested daily activities based on Illinois Early Learning Strategies.
The calendar is a partnership with School District U-46, U-46 Foundation, Gail Borden Public Library and United Wy of Elgin.
Dolly Parton Imagination Library
The Education Impact Council is dedicated to building language and literacy skills that will help move the needle on school readiness. Thanks to the generous support from JPMorgan Chase, Provena Saint Joseph Hospital, EFS Foundation, the Elgin Township, and the Fideliter Club United Way launched the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in February 2009. The program provides all children living in the United Way service area (Elgin, South Elgin, LaFox, Hampshire, Burlington and Pingree Grove) birth to age five a new, age appropriate, book mailed to their homes each month. The program ensures that children, regardless of socioeconomic status will have quality books in the home. Parents, Grandparents and caregivers are encouraged to read daily- inspiring the love for reading and literacy. This program is one of the most important ways to improve educational opportunities for children. It is helping to increase the percentage of children entering kindergarten who are prepared and have the skills necessary for learning to read; increase the amount of age-appropriate children’s books available in homes, increase the amount of time parents spend reading with children and increase the awareness of the importance of early literacy.
Reading Buddies Program
United Way volunteers, either as individuals or teams, started in Fall of 2011 spending 30 minutes a week reading to an individual child or to a small group of preschool and kindergarten children. Reading Buddies are trained and asked to donate a minimum of 30 minutes per week for a seven-month period working with children under the supervision of a classroom teacher.
As a Reading Buddy volunteer, you are helping children develop their language, listening and reading skills. This past school year 55 Reading Buddies volunteered at: Illinois Park Center for Early Learning and Elgin Child and Family Resource Center.
