CHENANGO COUNTY — Combating the cycle of poverty on a local level is never an easy task, but one of the area's most heavily relied upon nonprofits is stepping up its game when it comes to meeting the most basic of needs: education.
Of the allocations organizers at the Chenango United Way are looked upon to disburse every year, channeling funding streams to enrich early education programming is just one way the local chapter addresses the often life-long cycle of needs head on.
While Chenango County is home to a well attended public and private school population, numbers obtained from the U.S. Census and Chenango County Department of Health raise red flags that directly correlate with increased drop-out rates and illiteracy, which leads to an increase in adult dependancy on public assistance.
“We know that by investing in early eduction—particularly early literacy— children are enabled to learn more effectively throughout their school careers, become successful graduates and become self-sufficient adults,” said Chenango United Way (CUW) Executive Director Elizabeth Monaco. “Prevention is much more effective than intervention, and by meeting the basic foundational issues, such as reading an literacy early on, we can stabilize increased cost to taxpayers in the future.”
Grades and absenteeism rates from pre-school aged children through third grade students can predict with nearly 90 percent accuracy whether or not students will complete high school.
“We routinely keep a close eye on these trends and figures so that we can develop initiatives that have a direct impact on education within our community,” said Monaco. “Even with the quality education system in place within Chenango County, the average graduation rate is just under 74 percent, which is well below the national average,” she added.
Monaco indicates that the lion's share of educational insufficiencies stem from lack of school preparation. Young children enrolled in the public school system are often not ready to attend and lack both emotional and cognitive skills necessary to succeed.
“The entire education continuum—from birth through age 21—must work together if we want to move the needle on high school graduation,” said Monaco.
Funds raised by the United Way were spent right here in Chenango County and allocated to local after school programs that benefited 125 youths in 2013. According to Monaco, approximately 330 individuals received programming by way of peer mentoring for at-risk youth and literacy programs for young adults who gained the ability to read to their own children as a result.
Another unique program sponsored in part by the CUW is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Now in its 17th year, the program has mailed more than 60 million books to children enrolled in the program. Thanks in part to the efforts of the CUW, Chenango County is one of more than 1,600 local communities that provide the Imagination Library.
“The program provides a free hardcover book every month for enrolled children from birth until age five. It's a great way to foster early literacy on a local level and comes at no cost to families,” said Monaco.
Statistics and independent reports reveal that the Imagination Library drastically improves early childhood literacy for children enrolled in the program. Further studies have shown improved scores during early literacy testing.
“The bottom line is that we need to take care of our own, and donating directly to the United Way does just that,” Monaco saiwd. “Chenango County cannot risk rolling the dice by relying on state and federal government funding in the future because there is no guarantee that they will be willing to fund these necessary programs.”
Last year, the Chenango United Way raised more than $430,000 that went directly into community programming. Currently in the midst of its annual campaign, the CUW is already nearing 40 percent of its $421,000 goal for this year.