After Joe Cunningham drops off his 11-year-old son Patrick at school, he carefully watches the fifth grader enter a crowd of classmates. Even after all of these years of therapy, he can’t help but worry about how the children will receive his son.

Diagnosed at age 3 with autism, Patrick and his family faced an uphill battle. It wasn’t until Joe got involved with the Fathers Network, a program offered by United Way grantee Kindering Center, that he got a clear sense…

  The United Way of King County’s Volunteer Reader Program has been sending volunteers out into our community to read aloud to preschoolers since March of 2007, and what would these three years of hard work be without getting to throw a three year anniversary party for one of our most dedicated volunteers? Volunteer Reader May Shimbo has been reading at Grammis’ House in White Center since May of 2007, and when her reading anniversary day came up last month the director of the…

As part of her monthly report on the number of hours our Volunteer Readers spent reading, we got this note from the lead teacher at a low-income preschool that’s one of our Volunteer Reader Program sites:

Today was graduation. Both Monica and Kathy were key volunteers on our last day of school. A few students did not have any family members at the celebration. Monica for the PM class and Kathy for the AM class provided smiles, hugs and TLC for these children. Because of United…

Exciting news! The University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) is now home to the most advanced magnetoencephalography (or MEG) brain imaging device in the world. The MEG will allow scientists like Dr. Patricia Kuhl and Dr. Andrew Meltzoff to explore new discoveries in the area of neurological studies of young children. Through the use of the MEG, scientists will be able to safely map the minds of infants and young children as they see, learn, feel, and experience…

          As part of its celebration of National Volunteer Week, the Volunteer Reader Program asked the teachers and directors at its 39 child care and preschool sites what makes their readers so special. These caring and fun adults give an hour each week to read aloud to preschoolers, and the inspiring responses we got are extremely reflective of the great work that our volunteers do.  The words paint a picture of the enormous impact that our team is having throughout King County, and when we published them in our monthly newsletter, they were a really…

Two months ago, if you had asked me what my feelings were on the Disney Give a Day get a Day promotion, I would have been less than enthusiastic. I had the whole thing sprung on me the day after I returned from my holiday vacation, and from what I could tell at the time, the hundreds of emails that I received were from self-interested people that cared about Disney first, and the kids second. People would be so blunt as to tell me, “I…

Join us June 2 at the Paramount Theatre for the United Way of King County Breakfast. We’ll report on the progress we’re making to create smart solutions that deliver lasting change. Hear the latest on the ways we’re working to prepare children for success in school and in life. Speakers Patricia Kuhl and Andy Meltzoff from the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) will share stunning new insights on the developing brains of babies and young children.

One of the most prevalent issues facing volunteer readers with the United Way of King County Volunteer Reader Program is the problem of engaging children that aren’t ready to sit calmly and listen to a story. It’s not that these children don’t find their readers fun and interesting, it just happens that a pile of blocks or a big messy pot of finger-paint can sometimes snag their attention before we can utter the words “once upon a time.” Though some children…

United Way Lobbies the Other Washington

Last week, over 1,100 volunteers and staff from United Ways around the country met with 440 Congressmen and Senators on Capital Hill to advocate for a number of priorities including: reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act; increased funding for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA); and support for state 2-1-1 (information and referral) programs. The advocacy efforts blanketed the Hill in a single afternoon and happened several days before passage of health care reform. The effort added nine new…

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is hosting a series of community meetings to gather input on the “Youth and Families Initiative“, which will guide the City of Seattle’s support for children, youth and families, and inform efforts to renew the Families and Education Levy in Fall 2011.

So far, most of the conversation at the meetings has been focused on school-age youth, with less heard from voices carrying the message that early childhood is a critical time to focus on if the goal is the…