Success by 6
 

The mission of United Way of West Alabama's Success By 6 initiative is to provide programs and services to at-risk children from birth to age six. Our mission is to help ensure that, soon, all children in West Alabama will enter school healthy, confident, and ready to learn.

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Ready Set GROW! is a free program that offers parenting courses for expectant or current parents and caregivers of children age 0-5. The four-session program will provide parents with the necessary information and support to raise a healthy and happy child.

The Topics include:

  • Child Growth and Development
  • Social-Emotional Development
  • Child Health, Wellness, and Safety
  • Literacy
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  • The Dolly Parton Foundation provides books to children in designated areas monthly from birth until five years of age. With assistance from the state of Alabama, UWWA pays the cost of shipping these books to the children's homes.
  • Success By 6 implemented the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL) in Tuscaloosa County September 2008.
  • Currently, over 8,000 children receive free books each month in West Alabama.
  • Since the DPIL began, over 18,000 children have been part of the program.
  • DPIL has given over 1.1 million free books to children in West Alabama since 2008.
  • Research has shown children who are read to become better readers, develop critical thinking skills, and have better language skills.
  • SPIL is available in: Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marengo, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa counties.
  • In its 20th year of production, Success By 6 has distributed over 195,000 copies of our annual Getting Ready for Kindergarten Readiness Calendars to children across Alabama.
  • The calendar is intended for all four and five-year-old children who will enter kindergarten the following year.
  • It is designed to help families ensure their children are ready to successfully enter kindergarten.
  • It is an August to July calendar, so when the child finishes the calendar, it is time to begin school.
  • Each month focuses on a different learning topic with suggested activities the parent/ guardian and child can do together. QR codes also link to video read-alouds of the books featured each month.
  • More than 6,000 free copies of the calendar are distributed annually to children in West Alabama. Another 10,000 + copies are provided to other organizations and agencies around the state for a nominal cost to offset printing and shipping fees. 
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  • The Wash, Read, Repeat program is designed to encourage children and families to engage in reading and literacy activities while completing a weekly family chore - laundry. Typically, families spend many timeless hours at the laundromat, while waiting for their clothing to wash and dry. The idea behind the Wash, Read, Repeat program us to provide an area in the laundromat that encourages children and families to engage with books during this time.
  • The Success-By-6 program creates "Readiness Nooks" for children and families in local laundromats, equipped with a bookshelf, small sofa, rug, and child-sized table and chairs. Each nook is outfitted with books and literacy resources that can be used while families wait for their laundry to be washed and dried.
  • Weekly bi-lingual story time sessions are held during the school year to engage children and families in reading activities to promote early literacy and a love of books. 

 

  • Read for the Record is a national program designed to mobilize a record number of volunteers each year to read the same book to students across the country. United Way of West Alabama's Success By 6 has sponsored this event in our community since 2010.
  • In 2023 over 18,500 children and volunteers across all 9 of our West Alabama Counties read the children's book, With LOTS of LOVE by Jenny Torres Sanchez.
  • 2024's book is entitled Piper Chen Sings co-authored by Phillipa Soo and Maris Pasquale Doran. 
  • Click here to view a Youtube video Piper Chen Sings being read aloud by the co-authors.
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  • JumpStart is a four-week half day summer program for children entering kindergarten with little or no preschool experience.
  • The program began in 2002 and since that time has served more than 4,190 children.
  • During the program, teachers are able to observe and assess students' development, which can result in a child receiving intervention services sooner rather than later.
  • In the summer 2023, 185 children in four West Alabama Counties participated in JumpStart.
  • During the summer of 2024, JumpStart Kindergarten served 243 children in 20 classrooms in Bibb, Fayette, Hale, Marengo, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa Counties.
  • Bright Minds is a volunteer reading program in childcare centers and in pre-k and kindergarten classrooms in public schools.
  • Volunteers are asked to donate a minimum of one hour each month.
  • In 2023, 117 Bright Minds Volunteers read approximately 37,000 minutes to nearly 2,000 children. 
  • Success By 6 is thankful for our partnerships with the UA Colleges of Education and Child Development who provide student volunteers to read aloud.
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