SEE THE IMPACT

EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS

United Way of Greater Cincinnati believes every child deserves the opportunity to achieve their full potential. We create pathways for children and young adults in our community to reach key academic milestones, develop essential life skills and access fulfilling opportunities. By removing barriers to learning, we strive to build a thriving community where every young person can flourish and succeed.

WHY EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS MATTERS

Educational success is a priority because it paves the way for brighter futures and a stronger community.

Access to quality education and support can transform outcomes—students achieve key academic milestones, build resilience and prepare for fulfilling careers. A strong educational foundation doesn’t only benefit individual students — it builds a more prosperous, vibrant and inclusive region for all.

United Way of Greater Cincinnati defines educational success as the ability of children and youth to:

Access high-quality, inclusive learning experiences from early childhood through career readiness

Achieve critical milestones like kindergarten readiness, grade-level reading and high school graduation

Develop essential life skills and resilience

Overcome challenges outside the classroom, such as housing instability, food insecurity or limited access to support systems

With the right tools and opportunities, every young person has the potential to succeed — and when they do, we all benefit.

CHALLENGES FACING OUR COMMUNITY

Too often, barriers outside the classroom prevent children and youth from reaching their potential. Learning suffers when families face challenges like housing instability, food insecurity and limited access to transportation or wellness services.

Kindergarten readiness gaps delay long-term educational progress.

Learning loss, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaves students behind in subjects like math and reading.
Chronic absenteeism disrupts learning for individual students and entire classrooms

Without intervention, these challenges impact children today and influence the future of our region.

HOW WE'RE MAKING A DIFFERNCE

United Way of Greater Cincinnati is working to ensure every child has access to the resources and support they need to thrive from cradle to career. We’re focused on the following areas:

Building strong foundations through early learning: We ensure children start kindergarten ready to succeed. Through initiatives like Success By 6^®, we strengthen early childhood systems, increase access to high-quality early learning experiences and empower families with the tools to support early development.
Supporting student success: By investing in tutoring, mentoring and other support services, we help students stay on track and achieve academic success. Addressing barriers like chronic absenteeism ensures that children can learn, grow and thrive.
Creating pathways to future opportunities: For older youth, we collaborate to establish and strengthen career pathways through workforce training, apprenticeships and college access programs help young people develop critical skills, explore careers and prepare for fulfilling futures.
Advocating for change: Together with our partners, we advance policies and practices that remove systemic barriers to educational success, such as increasing public funding for quality early learning opportunities.

We understand that learning is affected by challenges outside the classroom. By addressing issues such as housing, economic stability and wellness, we create environments where children can focus on learning and achieving their potential. Together, we can build robust pathways to success, ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive and every family can look toward a brighter future.

UNITED WAY 211

Annually, our 24/7 helpline receives tens of thousands of requests for help, many from families with children in the household. United Way 211 team members listen, ask questions, assess needs and connect people to critical resources, including rent, mortgage and utility bill assistance, employment services, transportation needs and more. When parents and caregivers can provide a stable environment, children are better positioned to thrive.

SUCCESS BY 6^®

United Way of Greater Cincinnati leads a collaborative effort to help ensure all children ages 0-6 are healthy and ready to succeed by the time they start kindergarten. Created in 2003, Success By 6^® has served as a backbone convener and champion for our community’s youngest generation.

United Way’s persistence and investments in services, collaborations and advocacy prompted well-known services throughout our community–such as Every Child Succeeds–and laid the groundwork for critical systemic change–like the passing and renewal of Cincinnati Preschool Promise.

STABLE FAMILIES

We know that experiencing stability outside of school benefits students in the classroom. So, alongside community partners, Stable Families works to identify those at risk of losing their homes and provides short-term interventions. These supports address urgent needs, such as critical bills, and also provide opportunities to increase household earnings.

FAMILY SUCCESS NETWORK

Through the Family Success Network, we empower families to achieve stability, resilience and self-sufficiency. Our partners in this work take a comprehensive approach to family well-being, bundling services to provide an experience tailored to each family. These investments in stronger families help build brighter futures.

FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING FUND

The Future of Manufacturing Fund, made possible by the GE Aerospace Foundation, addresses critical gaps in the advanced manufacturing workforce.

The program seeks to connect individuals interested in advanced manufacturing career opportunities with workforce development programs. Grants awarded over a three-year period will help cohorts of partners increase workforce development program enrollment, completion and job obtainment in the sector. Funding and technical assistance will support partners in replicating proven practices or scaling existing solutions to improve outcomes.

ADVOCACY

We work to improve the odds so tomorrow’s leaders can build a better foundation today. We know education is not limited to the four walls of a classroom. We work to ensure children get a strong start in life, teenagers have the tools necessary to learn and grow, and young adults are positioned to thrive in the job market.

Through our advocacy work, United Way champions our youngest community members, accelerating positive change to address the many barriers that can prevent children from reaching their full potential.

We advocate for policies that:

Support high-quality, affordable childcare and preschool systems with mixed delivery options.

Expand access to paid leave programs, which support families, the workforce and the economy.

Ensure all families have access to evidence-based home visiting and parent support programs.