UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO - LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN JULY 1, 2013- JUNE 30, 2020
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
UNITED WAY OF
METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
JULY 1, 2013- JUNE 30, 2020
Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit.
We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.
– Wilma Rudolph
Dear United Way Supporter,
Last year, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago embarked on a bold journey launching our LIVE UNITED 2020
community-impact plan. The initiative connects individuals and families in more than 40 communities of greatest
need with education, income and health resources to achieve self-sufficiency. When kids succeed in school,
individuals find jobs and families access health services, people and communities thrive.
United Way will work through community and corporate partners and volunteers to raise resources and generate
awareness about needs in our communities. By 2020, we are committed to achieving the following goals:
v EDUCATION: Help 50,000 underperforming middle school kids enter high school ready to succeed
v INCOME: Advance economic stability for 100,000 households
v HEALTH: Connect over 200,000 people with available, preventative health services
v SAFETY NET: Answer the immediate crisis needs of 1 million people every year by providing shelter,
food and freedom from violence
The role of our partner organizations (200 agencies and 1,300 businesses) is critical to the success of the LIVE
UNITED 2020 plan. The implementation process began in 2011 by selecting educational partners in the 40+ target
communities. We’re now entering the next phase which consists of integrating income and health resources and
programming in these communities. We are thrilled to be at this pivotal point, aligning our programmatic efforts
in education, income and health, to fully realize the scope and impact of our vision.
The need for communities to work together more strategically and effectively in order to produce impactful
change has never been greater. Together, we can change the odds and build better lives for kids and families.
If you have any questions about our LIVE UNITED 2020 plan or the application process, please feel free to
contact our Community Building Team at communityimpact@uw-mc.org.
Sincerely,
Wendy DuBoe
President and Chief Executive Officer
United Way of Metropolitan Chicago
UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive
Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………………4
Section 1: LIVE UNITED 2020 Transformation to
Impact………………………………………….………5
Key components of LU 2020 vision & introduction of learning launch
Section 2: Our New Way of Doing
Business………………………………………………………………….11
Summary of basic approach to implementation going forward
Section 3:
Education……………………………………….………………………………………………..….…….15
Education issue area impact strategy
Section 4:
Income………………………………………………..………………………………………………….…20
Income issue area impact strategy
Section 5:
Health.………………………………………………..……………………………………….………….24
Health issue area impact strategy
Section 6: Safety
Net.……………………………………………..………………………………………………….29
Safety Net issue area impact strategy
Acknowledgements………………..………………….………………………………………………….……
……..34
Appendices
Appendix A: Working
Definitions………………………………………………..……………………………….38
Key terms that help define the UWMC approach
Appendix B: LU 2020 Partner
Communities……………………………………………………….…………43
Map & partner community list
Appendix C: FY14-15 LU 2020 Metrics
Overview……………………………………………..……….…..45
3
UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
Performance indicators by issue area
Target performance benchmarks
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
With this plan, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago (UWMC) formalizes its LIVE UNITED 2020 transformative
commitment to maximize its community partnerships, volunteer engagement, advocacy and fundraising, in order
to realize a bold new vision. Through LIVE UNITED 2020, United Way envisions communities where
individuals and communities are able to achieve their full potential. While striving to meet this
vision, UWMC will maintain its commitment to the regional safety net by answering the immediate crisis needs of
1 million people every year. Simultaneously, we will focus on deepening our impact within Partner Communities
around the region, where we will forward three bold 10-year goals:
INCOME: Advance economic stability for 100,000 households
EDUCATION: Help 50,000 underperforming middle school kids enter high school ready to
succeed
HEALTH: Connect over 200,000 people with available, preventative health services
This new vision comes at the heels of a decade of reinvention for UWMC. In 2004, 54-member United Ways
around the region began the process to consolidate, resulting in the creation of one metropolitan body, which is
now able to operate more efficiently1 and shepherd more resources toward direct services in our community.
During this period, UWMC made its ‘Transformation to Impact’, which included the development of evidence-
based impact plans, as well as the centralization of applications and reporting. At the same time, a deep
recession hit, causing dramatic funding cuts at the state and federal level for human services. Across the state,
this applied even more pressure on funding for health and human services, and necessitated an even greater
focus on creating maximum impact with limited funds.
United Ways around the country are at various stages in this transition from a traditional program-funding model
to an impact model, wherein United Ways create social change through targeted interventions around Education,
Income and Health, as the building blocks to self-sufficiency. Through our own research and community
conversations, we have come to view Education, Income and Health as a reinforcing cycle:
a healthful and supportive family environment ensures children can learn better in school and
parents can be productive in the workplace;
a solid education leads to sustainable employment and wealth-building opportunities
an economically stable household can afford high quality health services and access further
education/training
In the next year, UWMC will complete its vision for LIVE UNITED 2020 by centering its new impact investments and
partnership development in 58 Partner Communities, which were identified based on need AND existing capacity-
via strong community partnerships and infrastructure-for change. In all of these communities, UWMC will
strategically layer Education, Income and Health funding, and support and build strong partnerships with
residents, grantees and other community stakeholders. Further, UWMC will actively work to align corporate
partnerships and resources in support of this work.
1
The merger reduced expenses by $3M annually, which at that time was approximately 20% of operating costs.
4
UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
In addition, since UWMC is undergoing a dramatic shift in its approach to community impact, UWMC will select
two sites for a “learning launch”—one in a Chicago community and one in the suburbs. Within these learning
launch communities, we will roll out the full hub-and-spoke component of the LIVE UNITED 2020 model, in
which identified schools and/or nonprofit organizations function as the centers of family and community
resources and supports. We will further work inside those communities to weave together the human services
infrastructure, building upon existing collaborations to accelerate strong partnerships in support of human
potential.
SECTION 1: LIVE UNITED 2020 TRANSITION TO IMPACT
1.1 Community Impact Planning Process
From 2008-2011, UWMC convened local volunteers, nonprofit providers and panels of regional experts to conduct
intensive research in three key issue areas—Education, Income and Health—which United Ways around the
country have identified as the “building blocks to self-sufficiency”. However, given the size of the region’s
populations and challenges in these areas, it was necessary to zero in on particular strategy areas that would
make the most of current research around promising practices and meet community needs within UWMC’s large
metropolitan footprint.
The community impact planning process involved the following key processes and discoveries:
Identification of those populations and communities that are most at risk of poor educational, income
and health outcomes
Recognition that UWMC must focus its resources for impact
Engagement of local experts for the impact planning process
Solicitation of community, agency and donor input
Review of research for most effective strategies
Exploration of strategic opportunities to leverage the most resources for impact
Development of a measurement framework that will deliver positive and measurable community change
At the end of this three-year “transformation to impact”, UWMC had crafted three impact plans for each issue
area that worked to focus the impact of donors’ investments like never before. Each plan includes specified
metrics for each area of investment that could be aggregated around the region to demonstrate measureable
impact. These metrics also allowed UWMC to begin to develop performance benchmarks for and health programs
that serve low-income, high-barrier populations.
1.2 Live United 2020 Vision
Realizing that the organization needed to increase its focus to truly make a difference in educational, financial
and health outcomes for lower-income, high-barrier populations and communities, UWMC as a system wrestled
with how it could best meet its mission to “improve lives by mobilizing caring people to invest in the community
where there resources are needed most”. Through extensive conversations with volunteers and community
members around the region, major nonprofit partners, other community stakeholders, elected officials and local
government representatives, UWMC came to the decision that it would concentrate its investments in
communities of highest need around the region.
This includes dedicating a large portion of UWMC’s investments toward Education, Income and Health outcomes
inside specific geographies, in addition to changes in the way that UWMC interacts with the communities that it
serves. The result of this work is United Way of Metropolitan Chicago’s decade long community-
5
UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
impact plan to transform communities of greatest need throughout our region—LIVE UNITED
2020.
In conjunction with United Way Worldwide, United Way of Metropolitan Chicago has embarked upon a bold
journey; one that links solid, research-based community strategies to the resources needed to implement them.
By connecting families to the building blocks of economic stability: Education, Income and Health, United Way
will ensure people have the tools they need to reach their full potential.
1.3 Implementing the Vision
In essence, through LIVE UNITED 2020, UWMC envisions communities where all individuals and families are
able to achieve their human potential. But, how will UWMC work to accomplish this plan? The model has
six primary components:
Evidence-based Investment: Building upon the knowledge developed through the impact planning
process, UWMC will implement a single application process that seeks to fund highly effective
organizations that are providing best-in-class programming and can capture established metrics in
Education, Income and/or Health. See Sections 3-6 for summary of intended impacts by issue area and
companion document(s) that summarizes current program funding guidelines.
Partner Communities: UMWC has identified a specified set of Partner Communities around the region
that exhibit high need and high potential, as established by income, unemployment, educational and
capacity measures. These communities will be the focal point for program funding and related
community work in the three identified issue areas of Education, Income and Health. See Appendix B for
Partner Community list and map.
Hub-and-spoke: In these Partner Communities, UWMC will roll out the LIVE UNITED 2020plan. This
plan is based on the success of projects like the Harlem Children’s Zone and Promise Communities2,
which utilize schools and other service providers as the foundation of community organizing and
development work. The idea is simple: Resources in schools are more accessible to families and have the
benefit of engaging parents in kids’ academic performance. Also, inter-connected social service networks
stand a better chance of uptake than standalone efforts3. So, to maximize its resources and leverage
others for impact, UWMC will support the development of interconnected human service networks in
communities, with an emphasis on maximizing the utilization of schools as hubs of support, wherever
possible. Note: In some areas of the region, the school may not be the best hub, but rather a community
center or community-based organization.
Regional Safety Net: In addition to this local impact work in Education, Income and Health, UWMC
will continue to support the regional human services safety net in two key ways:
§ Program Funding: commitment of approximately 20% of UWMC allocable resources4 to support
safety net programs that assist individuals, families, and communities to successfully weather
crisis and emergency.
§ Metropolitan Area Agency Partners: providing significant resources to a network of large partner
organizations around the region that provide safety net services and actively work to advocate
for the human services sector.
2
Harvard University research, 2011.
3
Stanford University Social Innovation 2011/Rand Corporation 2010
4
In 2012, 205 of allocable resources was approximately $10M.
6
UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
Integration/Coordination of Services 5 : Though all communities will vary in their current need or
capacity for collaboration or integrated services, UWMC seeks to improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of human service delivery and generate new opportunities and resources through these avenues:
§ Strengthening individual knowledge and skills
§ Building capacity of community partners
§ Changing organizational practices
§ Community education/awareness
§ Fostering coalitions and networks: convening for broader goals and greater impact
§ Influencing policy: strategies to change laws and policies that influence community outcomes
Public Engagement & Policy Advocacy:
§ Conducting public awareness events, recruiting volunteers, and utilizing social media to
influence community opinions and engage the public in solutions to identified agency and sector
challenges.
§ Active leadership at the state level and connection to United Way Worldwide network to create
systems changes that build the strength of the human service sector and advance policies that
benefit lower-income families and communities.
1.4 Partner Community Selection
Due to the difficulty of achieving true and lasting impact while spreading resources across the entire Chicago
Metropolitan region, UWMC sought to identify a reasonable number of community areas within its footprint that
exhibited high need where investments could be focused to make a difference. So, in 2011, with counsel from
Loyola University, the IFF6 and the Metro Chicago Information Center, UWMC staff conducted a spatial analysis of
the region that included key demographic (income levels, unemployment rates, educational attainment, etc.) and
capacity indicators. Out of that analysis came grounded support for a reasonable, yet ambitious, number of
Partner Communities around the region for the Live United 2020 rollout, including designated areas on the south
and west sides of the City of Chicago, as well as select areas of Suburban Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, and Kane
Counties. Within some seventeen geographic “clusters” United Way has identified 40+ Partner Communities, as
shown in the Partner Community map in Appendix B.
By concentrating resources in high need communities, UWMC actively seeks to reduce disparities in
Educational, Income and Health outcomes for lower-income communities and populations, with a focus
on those individuals and families with incomes under 200% of the federal poverty level. As a result, the majority
of UWMC’s resources in 3 out of 4 issue areas—Education, Income and Health—will be invested in those programs
and services that serve identified Partner Communities. However, since crisis knows no boundaries, UWMC will
not limit investments by geography in the final issue area—Safety Net.
1.5 Inclusion of High Barrier Populations
While UWMC believes it is important to center its Education, Income and Health resources within designated
Partner Communities for maximum impact, we are also committed to the inclusion of high barrier populations,
specifically the groups listed below:
• homeless individuals and families
• youth in foster care/wards of the state
• people with disabilities
• immigrants/refugees
• the LGBTQ community
5
Building upon UWMC’s emphasis on partnerships and collaboration over the past several years, all LU 2020 funding
decisions will be made according to agencies’ ability to deliver on published Education, Income, & Health outcomes, with the
expectation that all funded parties engage in collaborative or integrated service delivery.
6
IFF was formerly known as the Illinois Facilities Fund, but was changed legally to IFF because they now have a multi-state
focus.
7
UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
• people with criminal backgrounds/re-entry population
• military veterans
• the frail elderly (aged 75 years+)
For that reason, agencies serving these populations are encouraged to apply for grants to support Education,
Income and Health programming that can deliver on United Way’s published outcomes in one or more of those
areas. In order to make a compelling case for funding that is competitive, agencies must be prepared to
document the needs and barriers of the population(s) served, the agency’s expertise and track record for serving
this population, the best practice service model(s) employed, the partnerships employed to support impact for
this population, etc. See LU 2020 decision tree below for assistance deciding whether or not to apply. Important
Note: funding for high barrier populations that cross Partner Community boundaries will be limited and highly
competitive.
UWMC Live United 2020 Applicant Decision Tree
1. Can agency programming deliver on published Do not apply for
UWMC metrics in 1 or more issue areas? No UWMC LU 2020
funding
Ye
s
3. Does your agency have
2. Does that programming significantly serve at No a track record serving at
least one of UWMC’s published Partner
least one of the high
Communities?
barrier populations listed
Ye
by UWMC in the LU 2020
s
impact plan?
3. Does your agency have on-the-ground
presence/ strong partnerships in a UWMC
Yes
Partner Community?
Ye
s
Do not
4. Can you effectively capture apply for
Consider the needs/barriers & your No UWMC LU
applying for Yes agency’s expertise/capacity 2020
UWMC LU 2020 to serve this population, as funding
funding well as deliver on the
established UWMC outcomes?
1.6 Mobilizing Resources for the Vision
While LU2020 utilizes strong, evidence-based, community investment strategy, the vision reaches beyond
funding to include impact generated from volunteerism, in-kind resources, public engagement and advocacy,
initially including efforts such as the following:
Policy Agenda: developing a state-wide public policy agenda to advance LU 2020 objectives, such as
mobilizing support for tax credits programs that benefit lower-income families, expansion of early
childhood resources, and greater accountability in the measurement of social services, among others.
Skill-based Volunteerism: matching skilled corporate and other volunteers with organizations in Partner
Communities. This ramps up the impact of this volunteerism by utilizing the professional skills and
relationships of these volunteers to forward the goals of LU 2020. Initially, this will involve the migration
of the volunteer corps of corporate partners into new volunteer engagements, such as tax preparation
assistance, mentoring, fiscal management/support, and other pro bono options.
8
UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
Creating Shared Value: increasing resources for community impact work by engaging with sponsors and
donors that share an interest in UWMC’s identified Partner Communities, and crafting joint Education,
Income and Health initiatives that create shared value.
1.7 Live United 2020 10-year Goals
What gets measured gets done. Building upon the community impact planning process for each of its issue
areas—Education, Income and Health—UWMC has declared bold goals for the Chicago Metropolitan Region to
inspire new levels of collaboration and investment from communities, partners, donors, volunteers, and its own
staff.
The needs are tremendous. In 2010, over a million people were living in poverty in the Chicago Metro region, with
1.4 million more living with very low-incomes that put them at risk of falling into poverty7. Given finite resources,
UWMC will focus its resources in two ways to address this challenge. First, we will maintain our commitment to
the regional crisis safety net by answering the immediate crisis needs of 1 million people every year.
Second, we will focus our impact work in Partner Communities for a transformational 10-year commitment that
will:
INCOME: Advance economic stability for 100,000 households
EDUCATION: Help 50,000 underperforming middle school kids enter high school ready to
succeed
HEALTH: Connect over 200,000 people with available, preventative health services
In addition to these overarching goals, UWMC has crafted a detailed set of Live United 2020 metrics that will
measure impact on the individual, community and systems levels. For an introduction to these metrics, see
Appendix C. These metrics are UWMC’s best effort at developing unified metrics for the impact work around the
region. However, given the nature of community work, it is likely that these performance measures will evolve
over time to better capture the results of our collective work in partnership with communities.
In the meantime, annual results will be summarized using these measures and reported in annual reports and
dashboards for localities and the region. In this way, UWMC will report on its progress toward the 10-year goals,
and will utilize the data to identify and highlight promising practices for sharing within the cohort of funded
agencies around the region.
7
Source: 2011 Heartland Social Impact Research Center Report on Illinois Poverty Snapshot of the Chicago Region. These data
pertain to the metro region that contains the City of Chicago, Suburban Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake
County, McHenry County, and Will County.
9
UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
1.8 A Learning Launch
Since UWMC is undergoing a dramatic shift in its approach to community impact, regional and local volunteers
have urged the organization to conduct a “Learning Launch” within the rollout of Live United 2020. It is within
these sites that UWMC will deploy the full complement of its efforts around the hub-and-spoke model. Within
FY13-14, two sites will be selected for the learning launch—one in a Chicago community and one in the suburbs—
within the Partner Community areas. The selection of these sites included many variables, including an analysis
of school capacity, lead partner capability, potential for partnerships among the human service infrastructure,
and community dynamics. Note: In some areas of the region, the school may not be the best hub, but rather a
community center or community-based organization.
Over the first two years of investment (FY14-15), UWMC will capture what it is learning from in-depth work in these
two Learning Launch communities, and utilize this learning to shape future funding cycles and impact work in its
Partner Communities around the region.
Learning Launch Mission: To apply a new school-centric model for deploying coordinated income, education
and health resources in order to increase United Way’s impact on the lives of those in targeted communities.
In order to achieve this mission, UWMC and Lead Partner agencies within the Learning Launch communities will
undertake the following key efforts:
10UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
•Financial, in kind & volunteer resources for community
Resources •Community partnerships bring visibility to the donor
•Longer term planning capability
Coordination of Services •Tight integration of service lines
•Common goals, outcomes and results
Accountability •Incentivize performance to meet LU 2020 benchmarks
SECTION 2: OUR NEW WAY OF DOING BUSINESS
2.1 Changing the Odds
UWMC has aligned with United Way Worldwide and approximately 1,200+ other local United Ways to identify
Education, Income and Health as the ‘building blocks to self-sufficiency’. However, since this is a very broad
charge, local communities have each developed strategies that are most likely to have the biggest impact, given
that each area or population will face very different conditions and obstacles. Within this overarching framework,
UWMC has worked with local boards, community members, partner organizations, and experts to select a set of
evidence-based strategies that work together to change the odds, so that individuals and communities realize
their innate human potential. A general summary of those interlocking strategies is included in the table below,
with more detail about each issue area in the sections immediately following.
A picture of our LIVE UNITED 2020 Model and Strategies
•Early Childhood •Financial
education Capabiity
•Community •Employment
Schools •Income Supports
EDUCATION INCOME
HEALTH SAFETY NET
•Hunger
•Prevention of •Housing
chronic disease •Safety
•Access to high •Legal Assistance
quality care •Emergency
Preparedness
11UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
UWMC’s transformation to community impact is guided by a comprehensive theory of change which identifies the
necessary building blocks that create a foundation for strong families and vibrant communities. This set of
specific and measurable steps both maps and connects the critical milestones necessary to achieve, at a
minimum self sufficiency, but ideally one’s human potential. It is within this theory that we see the
interconnections between all three of UWMC’s issue areas: Education, Income, and Health. Supports working
across these domains are essential to making certain that individuals, families, and communities are able to
thrive.
But, what does this mean in a practical sense? Specifically, UWMC will focus its resources and leverage others in
high need communities to positively impact three key, interlocking levers of potential—education, income &
health—with the goal of maximizing support and opportunities. In addition, given that individuals and families
must first meet their basic needs to focus on higher life goals, UWMC will maintain its long-standing commitment
to the regional crisis safety net, including program funding, planning and policy work around access to basic
needs.
2.2 Integrated Service Delivery
UWMC’s emphasis on the integration of Education, Income & Health has evolved from the expertise of our health
and human service partners working in the community every day. For many providers, support for a client or
family often crosses several domains and relies on a deep understanding of the human experience and
community from an interdependent or holistic perspective. These issues often work together; thus, considering
possibilities of overlap allows for a multidisciplinary approach. Intuitively, we understand this. Children who
have their health needs met are better able to focus on school and stay on track for lifelong learning. Adults with
stable employment are able to provide safe homes for their families, save for their futures or unexpected life
events. When crises arise, the community provides a safety net to buoy families and help them get back on track
toward self sufficiency. UWMC is interested in the confluence of these issues and how providers work together to
tackle issues and develop meaningful and effective community-specific solutions to help individuals realize their
potential.
2.3 Asset-based Approach
Though UWMC has utilized indicators (unemployment, poverty, low educational attainment) to select Partner
Communities with a high risk of poor outcomes in Education, Income and Health, it is critical that the LIVE UNITED
2020 work be rooted in the assets that are found within each of these Communities—its people, places, history,
culture, values and institutions. By utilizing this approach, UWMC will work to achieve its stated outcomes, while
also:
Identifying what is working and build on community capacity to amplify successes;
Bringing community members into the process to encourage vested interest in successful social
change;
Engaging community members’ voices for more effective advocacy work that incorporates deep
knowledge; and
Fostering community resilience—the ability of a community to recover from and/or thrive despite the
prevalence of risk factors and adversity.
2.4 Transparency & Learning
As UWMC launches its LU 2020plan, it must approach Partner Communities with transparency about the intent to
invest in Education, Income and Health as the building blocks to self-sufficiency. However, by no means will
UWMC have all of the information that it needs to craft the right strategies that will be most effective in each
Partner Community. Therefore, UWMC staff and volunteers will be in regular contact with the community to gain a
thorough understanding of its strengths and challenges. This information will then feed into future impact plans
and/or will inform the initiatives developed in each Partner Community. In this way, UWMC will actively build
upon its identity as a funder, convener and expert to be come a partner, student and advocate for those
communities.
12UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
2.5 Community as Partner
United Way is committed to engaging and developing partnerships with residents, leaders and other
stakeholders in Partner Communities, as a fundamental component of our work to achieve the LIVE UNITED
2020plan. Therefore, before and during the development of this plan UWMC reached out to numerous community
residents, human service providers, local leadership, elected officials, volunteers and issue area experts, in order
to ensure that the LIVE UNITED 2020 plan includes strategies that resonate locally and regionally.
In addition, during the FY13-14 program year, UWMC will develop a strategy that formalizes our on-going
community outreach/engagement. As the LIVE UNITED 2020 work continues to ev0lve through our Learning
Launch, we will work to ensure that community voices remain at the forefront of our consideration and planning.
Summaries from our initial community outreach and engagement efforts are included below.
General Live United 2020 community feedback
Over the past year, a number of common themes have continued to surface in a majority of our conversations
about the LIVE UNITED 2020plan. Those themes are summarized below.
Context: make a commitment to understanding the current overall challenges and opportunities that
exist within each partner community.
Capacity: assess the current capacity in each partner community- look at local leadership and draw
power/strength from within the community.
Partnerships: To the extent possible, work with a strong lead partner and/or groups that have
established strong collaborative working relationships. Recognize where leadership is "assumed" and
where it needs to be nurtured in a community.
Orientation: Make a commitment to regularly capture feedback from communities on other needs and
incorporate, whenever possible, into local impact work, advocacy, etc.
Role: Approach communities as a partner to achieve impact in Education, Income and Health, and
understand the strategies to achieve outcomes will vary by community. Be clear and transparent about
what UWMC is prepared to do in communities to support impact and community change.
Funding shifts: Identify and be transparent about likely effects of geographic shifts on program funding
decisions and continue to invest in crisis funding around the region.
Policy: Think hard about how this work will yield value/information for the field and/or to influence state,
local and/or federal policy. How are we building the capacity of the community to affect change? How
will we capture learning? Build in these components from the beginning.
Impact: Measure impact of work at individual, community and systems levels, incorporating performance
benchmarks when possible.
Measured Transition: Be cautious and plan rollout at the right pace because of resource intensity needed
for Learning Launch while conducting regular operations, fundraising, etc.
Community conversations: focused on connecting young people to education,
employment and ongoing civic participation
In early 2012, UWMC partnered through United Way Worldwide with the White House Council for Community
Solutions8 to hold 11 conversations across the UWMC footprint. The purpose was to engage community leaders
and everyday people to identify ways that their communities could come together to ensure opportunities for a
better life for all young people, especially at-risk and disconnected youth. UWMC sought to gain input from nearly
200+ individuals including youth, parents, adults, seniors, business owners, local government, school officials,
community-based organizations and churches.
8
The White House Council for Community Solutions, created by President Obama in December 2010, is focused on
encouraging communities to join together to connect young people to education, employment, and ongoing civic
participation.
13UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
These conversations were focused on a challenge of particular concern to communities—connecting young
people to education, employment and on-going civic participation. The primary themes captured from these
conversations are summarized in the following bullets.
Youth today face four main barriers to completing their education, including:
§ community violence
§ lack of parental engagement
§ having to work to help support the household
§ education not relevant/engaging to youth
Parents and communities identified six primary ways we should all come together to address these
challenges, including:
§ Provide skills and effective trade/vocational education for those students who may not wish to
pursue a college degree.
§ Help parents navigate the educational system from high school to college.
§ Provide opportunities for youth to connect early in their academic careers to after school
programs, mentors, etc.
§ Engage all stakeholders in the community—politicians, schools, police, parents, youth—to
effectively address these issues.
§ Ensure that teachers are well trained and the curriculum is relevant to prepare students for the
labor market.
§ Generate economic opportunity/provide good jobs for youth and their families.
In addition to providing feedback, several groups committed to continuing this dialogue, with the goal of
identifying local actions steps.
In Skokie, the group agreed to convene in spring of 2012 to work on opening a new Teen Center.
Many groups already hold monthly, regularly scheduled meetings (i.e. Pilsen, Brighton Park, Melrose
Park, Cicero) and will continue to work on the community issues in this format.
In North Lawndale, they agreed to form an advisory group to start work on these issues.
In Carpentersville, the participants requested that UWMC reconvene with the group to continue working
on these issues.
14UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
SECTION 3: EDUCATION
Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.
-John Dewey
Education is the cornerstone of individual and community success, and so it forms the first
pillar of UWMC’s community impact model in Partner Communities around the region. Like the
other issue areas – Income and Health – we perceive Education as a social right that is paramount to a self-
sufficient life.
There are glaring issues in education that negatively affect entire communities and demand a full community
response. Nationwide, 1 in 3 students do not finish high school on time. Across Illinois the graduation rate is
87%, while in the Chicago Public School system, the current graduation rate is approximately 60% with even
worse rates for African American and Latino males. Additionally, in some suburban areas where graduation rates
are higher, students still fall short of expectations on standardized test performance. Therefore, the need for
educational interventions exists all across the UWMC footprint, even in those communities with better than
average graduation rates.
UWMC is committed to changing this reality by maximizing the impact of donors’ contributions — time, skills and
financial – to focus resources on an upstream approach to addressing the education crisis. By targeting key
transitions in a child or student’s life, we hope to intervene at those places where children and youth tend to fall
off track in their educational trajectory, help keep them in school, continue learning and ultimately graduate from
high school ready for college and work. With finite funding, UWMC has zeroed in on two important education
junctures with the following goals:
Children 0-5 years old enter school ready to learn
Students transition successfully into 9 th grade
By focusing on early childhood (birth to 5 years), children will have the building blocks, through family support
and skill attainment, to begin kindergarten poised for lifelong learning. Similarly, by enveloping 6th-8th grade
youth in supportive and enriching educational environments at a formative and sometimes challenging
developmental period, students will begin high school with the cognitive and social bedrock necessary to
graduate. It is through these very specific approaches that UWMC will direct program dollars to high quality
service providers that have the capacity to deliver outcomes in geographies with the highest need.
3.1 Early Childhood: children enter school ready to learn
What is it?
Children learn best in loving, nurturing relationships and through everyday experiences. These essential
connections act to “hard-wire” the brain for future learning, especially in the early years. Whether children are at
home, with relatives/ friends or in childcare, the quality of early experiences is fundamental to later school
success. UWMC will work across multiple levels to ensure that children enter school ready to learn9 by:
Supporting an early childhood continuum for children and families from before birth to age five; and
Ensuring that children are developing appropriately across the following critical learning domains:
§ Physical well-being and motor development: growth, nutrition and screening/support for
disabilities
9
For good ready to learn definition see: “School Readiness: Helping Communities Get Children Ready for School & Schools
Ready for Children” (2002). Washington, DC: Child Trends; “Reconsidering Children’s Early Development & Learning: Toward
Common Views & Vocabulary” (1994). Washington, DC: National Educ. Goals Panel; “Findings from the National School
Readiness Indicators Initiative, A 17-State Partnership.” (2005). Providence, Rhode Island: Rhode Island KIDS COUNT.
15UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
§ Socio-emotional development: self-regulation, interaction with others, self-perception and
feelings
§ Approach to learning: enthusiasm, curiosity and persistence
§ Language: communication and early literacy
§ Cognition and general knowledge: thinking, problem-solving, abstract thought, imagination and
knowledge about particular objects and the way the world works
Specifically, UWMC will invest in two types of evidence-based early childhood — high quality preschool and home
visiting — to improve early childhood education in target geographies. UWMC’s investments will be directed
toward efforts to:
Serve children and families better: Increase the quality of home visiting and preschool programs that are
available in the community.
§ Increase outreach of high quality programs to actively engage at-risk children and families to
occupy slots where there is excess capacity
§ Improve service offering to “step up” to best practice/high quality models by improving
curriculum, increasing teacher training, enhancing cultural competency, reducing teacher-
student ratios, etc.
Improve how services are offered within communities: Increase involvement/leadership in community
change work to improve early childhood education.
§ Collaborate to identify gaps and address them
§ Improve community connections between home visiting, child care, preschool and kindergarten
§ Outreach to disseminate early education tools to the general public
Serve more children and families: Increase participation/access to high quality programs.
§ Increase the number of “slots” available in areas that need them (there are more eligible
children than opportunities available)
§ Expand to new sites that show service gaps
§ Collaborate with childcare providers to offer services remotely
A picture of our early childhood model
CHILDREN 0-2:
CHILDREN 3-5: KINDERGARTEN:
Isolated children in lower-
income households receive case Children transition from their Programs connect to schools
homes or center-based care where children transition
managment, health screenings
into high quality preschool ready for academic &
& early learning in their homes
programs emotional success
or in center-based care
Why is it important?
There is a wide body of research that supports investment in early childhood, but essentially the research can be
boiled down into four basic points:
We can’t wait. The most rapid brain development happens early in life and this provides the foundation
for all later learning.
§ A child’s brain develops fastest in the first 5 years10
§ 46% of children start school without the skills they need to learn11
10
Thompson, R. (Spring/Summer 2001). “Development in the First Years in The Future of Children: Caring for Infants and
Toddlers,” Vol. 11, No.1.
16UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
§ Early experiences powerfully shape the brain’s learning pathways12
Disparity. Skill gaps show up between low-income children and the general population at very young
ages, often as early as 18 months, and long before children enter kindergarten13.
Economics/social efficiency. If you wait to address skill gaps they are harder to close14.
Impact. Research shows that investments in disadvantaged children and families yield the most impact
in the longer term15.
3.2 Middle school: youth transition successfully into 9 th grade
What is it?
Middle school is where the rubber meets the road. Many disadvantaged children begin to fall behind; greater
levels of truancy and behavior problems lead to out-of-school suspension. Fewer than 2 in 10 8th graders are on
track for college-level work. This means that 8 in 10 won't have the knowledge and skills to succeed in high
school16. Most high school dropout prevention efforts start in high school – which is too late, according to
research. Students' academic achievement by 8th grade has a greater impact on college and career readiness
than high school academic work. UWMC will work to ensure that middle school students transition successfully
into high school by:
1. Supporting holistic community school models that work with middle school students as they prepare for
9th grade; and
2. Ensuring that youth receive the necessary physical, mental, academic and social supports that prepare
them to meet/exceed academic performance expectations
Note: Middle school refers to the 6th-8th grade years in students’ academic lives. Some providers may be reaching
down into 5th grade as well; however, we expect the preponderance of effort to be directed toward 7th-8th grade
students in order to measure 9th grade readiness. This term may be synonymous with “junior high” or “late
elementary school” dependent on district terminology.
Specifically, UWMC will invest in evidence-based interventions around the region that apply the core tenants of
the community school model to improve the educational opportunities for youth in low-income target
geographies. The Federation for Community Schools defines a community school as a school that serves as a
community hub by coordinating a range of on-site community programs and services that support the success of
students and their families. The school hub may vary by community because it is developed through mutually
beneficial partnerships with students, families, community agencies, businesses and residents that are unique to
that community. It should be noted that UWMC does not prefer one type of school over another (e.g., public,
charter, private, therapeutic day, etc.), but rather is interested in effective collaborations that operate using the
community school model and increase students’ academic performance.
By way of this strategy, UWMC’s investments will be directed toward efforts to:
Serve youth and families better: Increase the quality of educational supports and out of school time
programs that are available in a community.
§ Emphasize academic enrichment and parental involvement, including adult access to health and
employment resources (career ladders/ESL) where possible
11
Zill, Nicholas and West, Jerry, for the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2001).
12
Shonkoff, J. and Phillips, D., eds. (2002). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development.
Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
13
Lee, V. and Burkham, D. (2002). “Inequality at the Starting Gate: Social Background Differences in Achievement as Children
Begin School.” Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.
14
Rouse, C., Brooks-Gunn, J and McLanahan, S. eds. (Spring, 2005). “The Future of Children. School Readiness: Closing Racial
and Ethnic Gaps,” Vol. 15, No. 1
15
Cunha, F. and J. J. Heckman (2007b, May). “The technology of skill formation.” American Economic Review 97(2), 31–47.
16
Figure according to Communities in Schools, one of America’s leading drop-out prevention partnerships.
17UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
§Increase the capacity of low-income families and communities to expect and experience quality
schools committed to preparing students for college and career
Improve how services are offered within communities: Increase community involvement/leadership to
improve middle school support.
§ Collaborate to identify gaps and address them
§ Improve community connections between school administrators/teachers and direct service
providers
§ Bring community leadership and planning into the school through local advisory boards
§ Utilize schools as an effective community gathering place (“hub”) for students and families
Serve more students and families: Increase access to/participation in high quality programs.
§ Expand to new sites that show service gaps
§ Collaborate with community school providers to offer needed services where there is a dearth
A picture of our middle school model
UWMC has identified a Model for Success with four main components based on research of leading national,
state and local community school strategies:17
Social services:
• Integrated physical and mental health services for
Family youth and families
Engagement • Workforce development for adults/parents
• Adult education opportunities (ESL, GED, literacy,
numeracy)
Strong local leadership
• Coordinating lead non-profit
• School principal/key leaders support
Strong
local Social • Local advisory board recruitment and development
Services Extended day learning:
leaders
• Tutoring and mentoring that address academic
achievement and link to in-school curriculum
• Theater, arts and sports programming that
reinforce academics
Family engagement strategies:
Extended Day
Learning • Multiple involvement strategies and leadership
opportunities
• Family resources and support that facilitate social
connectedness
Note: The community school model recognizes the school as a “hub” where all services coalesce for students and
their families. We recognize in some parts of our territory the model may function at locations other than a
school, such as a community resource center. What is important is that the components are present and serve
children, students and their families as the model proposes.
Why is it important?
17
Developed by United Way Metropolitan Chicago (2010). Based on research from the following community schools and
coalitions: National Coalition of Community Schools, Polk Brothers Foundation, Illinois 21st Century grantees, Illinois
Federation of Community Schools, Chicago Public Schools Community school Initiative, Local Initiative Support Communities,
United Way Greater Lehigh Valley (COMPASS and Allentown Promise Zone), Communities In Schools Chicago, Communities In
Schools National.
18UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
Research supports a strong correlation between being ‘off-track’ in 9th grade and the likelihood to drop out
before high school graduation.
We can’t wait. With high school graduation rates around 60% in some parts of our territory, youth face
extremely limited employment potential with few opportunities for advancement.
Disparity. Youth in large metro areas are not achieving the same high levels of education attainment as
their predecessors in recent years. Additionally, African American and Latino youth lag behind their
Caucasian counterparts in degree attainment.18
Economics. Ensuring youth are prepared for graduation and post secondary education or career
trajectory is a workforce development issue. An educated workforce is essential to ensure the region’s
economy is competitive nationally and globally.
Impact. Engaging parents and students to create higher expectations and show potential for future
social returns.
§ If students are not “on-track” in grades 6th8th , students can improve during their 9th grade year19
§ When parents expect students to attend and graduate from college, students are much more
likely to do so20
§ Adult expectations for student learning, and connections between families and schools result in
success in school, social competence and an aspiration for college21
SECTION 4: INCOME
18
“On the Front Lines of Demographic Transformation.” (2010) The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, State of
Metropolitan America.
19
Allensworth, Elaine M., and John Q. Easton (2007). What Matters for Staying On-Track and Graduating in Chicago Public
High Schools. Chicago: Consortium on Chicago School Research.
20
National Parent Teacher Association (2009)
21
Harvard Family Research Project (2007)
19UNITED WAY OF METROPOLITAN CHICAGO
UWMC LIVE UNITED 2020 IMPACT PLAN
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and
confidence.
-Horatio Alger
UWMC is committed to investments in economic empowerment, so that lower-income families
have the resources and support to meet their needs, weather emergency and invest in a
brighter future. Without opportunities to generate family-sustaining income, individuals and families will
continue to struggle to make ends meet, let alone reach their full potential or the putative American Dream. For
these reasons, income forms the second pillar of the UMWC model in Partner communities around the region.
In 2010, over a million people were living in poverty in the Metropolitan Chicago region, and an additional 1.4
million were on the brink of poverty22. That means nearly 1 in 3 people were living in low-income households
around the region. Our changing global economy has hit lower-skilled workers the hardest, and lower-income
communities have not yet experienced significant post-recession relief. For families, limited resources
necessarily mean having to make tough decisions that may have long-term consequences, such as taking loans
out of savings or retirement funds, accruing additional debt, putting off needed health care or deferring
investments in education or training. In order to encourage the development of the skills and resources families
and communities need to stabilize, successfully weather challenges and move ahead, UWMC will invest in three
interlocking drivers of economic empowerment.
Financial Capability: improve financial management and build savings
Employment: find jobs and pursue career growth
Income Supports: access income supports to make ends meet
Note: Due to the limited amount of funding, the Income area is primarily an adult-focused issue area.
A picture of our Income model
Financial Capability
• Financial education/coaching
• Changes in financial position
Income • Becoming “banked”
Supports • Investing in opportunity
• Banking partnerships
Employment
• Job readiness
Financial
Capability • Gaining skills and credentials
• Finding a job and advancing
• Employer partnerships
Employment Income Supports
• Gaining access to new or maintenance
of current income supports
• Nonprofit and government
partnerships
3
4.1 Financial capability: improve financial management & build
savings
22
Source: 2011 Heartland Social Impact Research Center Report on Illinois Poverty.
20You can also read
