United Way Brainstorms Early Childhood Issues

BROOKFIELD — The United Way of Northern Fairfield County recently gathered together a diverse group of individuals to discuss early childhood care and education needs/issues in the greater Danbury area. The half-day meeting was professionally facilitated by employees of GE and held at its Vendor Financial Services headquarters in Brookfield.

The United Way’s Early Childhood Care and Education Team invited teachers, parents, health care providers, social workers, mental health providers, day care providers, school administrators, religious leaders, and business professionals to share their insights and visions for improvements.

“Everyone in attendance offered a unique perspective on what a young child needs in order to be successful in school and life,” said Andrea Rynn, director of community impact for the United Way. Discussion ranged from prenatal health care to safe and affordable housing to affordable and accessible preschools and day care.

“Although there was such diversity of backgrounds in the room,” Ms Rynn said. “There were many common concerns which emerged after the four breakout groups compared their notes.” The United Way, with the help of its Early Childhood Care and Education Team, is compiling all the notes on local needs and the group’s suggested strategies

Elizabeth Goehring, manager of community relations at GE Commercial Finance and chair of the United Way’s Early Childhood Care & Education Team, stressed that what was unique about this meeting, besides the broad base of experience of the attendees, was the fact that they discussed specific strategies for improvement, and more importantly, ways to measure whether those strategies are working.

“We want to have measurable outcomes to our efforts,” said Ms Goehring. “That’s the way to know you are making an impact and creating long-term change. We will take this information and mobilize the community around some of these issues.”

Another member of the United Way’s Team, Deb Channing, senior vice president of the Regional YMCA, observed several common themes, primarily a greater need for collaboration and communication among service providers, which includes those in child care, education, health care, and social work. Ms Channing also noted that “our families need more high quality services, that are affordable and far more accessible. In addition, we must make a greater effort at broadening the community’s awareness of available resources.”

Early childhood needs is a focus area of the United Way of Northern Fairfield County’s successful kids community impact area. The United Way is mobilizing the greater Danbury community and focusing resources on five named community issues: community wellness, successful kids, encouraging community involvement, increasing self-sufficiency, and strengthening families. It is working with its current agency partners as well as encouraging new community alliances in order to bring about long-term solutions to existing community issues.