Success By 6® (SB6) is United Way’s initiative to ensure that more children come to school ready to learn and we're celebrating our 6th birthday. . The years between birth and six are a time of tremendous growth and development. The experiences children have in their earliest years determine the actual structure of their brain and lay the foundation for their ability to learn, as well as their emotional and behavioral well-being. The stakes are high – these early years matter, not only for young children and their families, but also for our entire community. Investments in early childhood have a high rate of return: for every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood programs, we save $16 in costs such as special education, incarceration, and welfare.

2. A Look Back & a Look Ahead Turns Six!

3. Success By 6 is about getting kids on the right path at the right time.

4. So, when is the right time?

5. Three weeks after conception the brain begins to form. Three weeks later early neural connections permit the first movements.

6. After birth, a baby’s brain produces trillions of these connections.

7. These connections are called dendrites. They grow when stimulated and die when ignored.

8. Experience is the chief architect of the brain’s dendrites.

9. Success By 6 was designed to support this architecture.

10. Creating the right experiences to shape these incredible brains at the right time.

11. Empowering parents with the knowledge that will help them shape their children's future.

12. Making sure that early childhood programs are high quality.

13. Helping vulnerable children and families have access to early care and education programs.

14. And the good news is… we’ve been doing it for SIX years

15. With the help of many partners ACES, Accreditation Facilitation Project, All Our Kin, ALSO-Cornerstone, Catholic Charities, Community Mediation, Connecticut Children’s Museum, Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, The Diaper Bank, East Haven Early Childhood Collaborative, East Haven Family Resource Center, Fair Haven Community Health Center, Fair Haven Stroll For Babies, Great Dwight Development Corporation, Hamden/North Haven YMCA, Hamden’s Partnership for Young Children, Leila Day Nursery, Life Haven, New Haven Early Childhood Council, New Haven Public Schools, New Haven Reads Community Book Bank, Read to Grow, St. Francis and St. Rose of Lima School, Student Parenting & Family Resources, United Community Nursery School, West Haven Community House, West Haven Childhood Development Center.

16. We’ve invested $2.1 Million

17. We’ve leveraged more than $2 Million in other funds

18. Investments in quality early childhood experiences provide a 16% rate of return.

19. What does this work look like?

20. What difference has it made?

21. 2,620 parents gained skills to help their child enter school success-ready.

22. 215 programs improved the quality of education experiences

23. 2,445 children received improved quality care

24. 435 children from low-income families attended high-quality early care and education programs

25. Over 400,000 households in CT received information about why early childhood matters.

26. Over 400,000 diapers and almost 8,000 children’s books collected for families in need.

27. Happy Birthday, Success By 6! And many more . . .

28. A Look Back & a Look Ahead Turns Six!

29. Celebrate with us by spreading the word. Go to bit.ly/SB6Event and share this presentation with your social networks.