United Way Leads Planning Effort to Engage Parents in Children's Learning

Backed by research that shows major payoffs in children’s learning when parents are highly engaged in the process, United Way of Massachusetts Bay is leading a community planning effort in Boston to promote parents’ involvement in and support of out-of-school learning for their children. The initiative is made possible by a $75,000 planning grant from the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, which has selected 12 communities-each represented by various organizations-across the country to receive similar grants.

The funds will help support planning efforts in each community to design a multi-year program aimed at improving learning for children ages 6 to 10 and promoting learning as a core community value. The planning will focus on better use of existing community resources, quality parent engagement, and helping community institutions-such as parks, museums and libraries-create a more supportive learning environment by becoming more family-friendly. Planning grantees will have the opportunity to submit proposals later this year for grants of up to $1.5 million each to implement their projects.

Locally, United Way of Massachusetts Bay’s planning efforts will focus on the Black Ministerial Alliance’s Victory Generations Program and the Latino After-school Initiative. These are two impressive after-school programs geared toward improving the educational outcomes of Black and Latino youth in greater Boston-a majority of whom consistently fail the high-stakes Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam. As part of its community planning, initiative, United Way will:

• Meet with a diverse group of constituents, including parents, community leaders, and after-school program providers, for input
• Identify the best culturally appropriate strategies for engaging minority parents and enhancing the family’s role in children’s educational achievement
• Gather information on how to make community resources, such as libraries and museums, cultural institutions, more family-friendly and accessible
• Design and submit a proposal in the fall to the DeWitt Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund for funding to implement the initiative locally