Description
Helping children succeed in life
Baltimore's Success By 6® Partnership, a movement adopted by the people of Baltimore City, is changing the way our community supports families with young children. For the first time in our city's history organizations from every sector of the community are working together to give children an equal chance at success in life. It is a strategy, not a program, that is building on the strengths of families, neighborhoods and service providers citywide.
Why our community needs Success By 6®
All children need to be healthy, safe and nurtured to grow into confident, successful adults. The reality is, many of our children are born into this world at an immediate disadvantage, faced with poverty, violence and addiction. In Baltimore , incidences of pre-term births, low birth weights, infant mortality, child abuse, neglect and injuries are very high - much higher than in most other major cities nationwide. Children's experiences in the first six years shape their lives for years to come. Success By 6® brings together the entire community to make sure those early experiences are healthy, safe and enriching so that children are prepared for success in school - and in life.
How Success By 6® supports families
Success By 6® brings home visiting services to pregnant and parenting families with children, newborn to age 6, to link them to health care and community services, and to support them in providing home environments that are safe and nurturing for young children. Success By 6® also supports a variety of services at neighborhood organizations, including early learning classes, child development, addiction treatment and parent support groups. Success By 6® coordinates and strengthens existing family services and fills in gaps in services where they exist. A team of national experts is evaluating the effectiveness of this effort.
Success By 6® is in cities across the country, each initiative different, but all focused on improving the health, safety and school readiness of young children. The communities participating in Baltimore's initiative are:
- Druid Heights/Reservoir Hill/Upton
- Historic East Baltimore
- Sandtown-Winchester/Harlem Park
- Southwestern Consortium
Because we're all connected
Community-based organizations, government agencies, businesses, parents and community leaders all recognize the short- and long-term consequences of inadequate early childhood development, and have come together to bring real, effective responses to children's needs. Together, this collaboration has committed more than $25 million to Success By 6®, to be distributed over five years. The Family League of Baltimore City, the Safe and Sound Campaign and United Way of Central Maryland lead the citywide implementation of Success By 6.
Other organizations that have contributed financial and/or human resources include: Annie E. Casey Foundation; Baltimore City Health Department; Bank of America Foundation/United Way of America Success By 6® Enhancement Initiative; Friends of the Family; Governor's Office for Children, Youth and Families/ Healthy Families Maryland; March of Dimes; Maryland State Department of Human Resources/ Baltimore City Department of Social Services; Mayor's Office for Children, Youth and Families; Marquerite Casey Foundation; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention/ Safe Start Initiative and the Reason to Believe Campaign.
For more information
Contact Muriel Gates-Cromwell at (410) 895-1472.
