United Way Sacramento Area

In 2016, United Way California Capital Region launched the Square One Project. Over the next 2 decades, we will significantly increase the number of local students who graduate from high school ready for success in college and career. Square One Project initiatives in Woodland will enhance support within the local community and surrounding Yolo County to make lasting change through education. Together with our community partners, we provide kids with the tools and resources they need to succeed and help end poverty starting in school. Our Square One Project building blocks for success are: - Keeping kids in school - Setting high expectations - Keeping kids on track - Ensuring strong support

Together with AARP Experience Corps, United Way matches volunteer tutors with students in Kindergarten through third grade to help kids improve their reading skills and become successful, confident readers. Experience Corps volunteers: • Receive training in literacy and classroom management before working with students. • Tutor small groups of two or three students throughout the school year and track their progress. • Volunteer twice a week at a school for two to three hours per day October through May. • Meet monthly with their peers to connect, share best practices and receive additional literacy and classroom management training. If kids aren’t reading at grade level by 4th grade, they will have a hard time keeping up across multiple subjects. Those who fall behind in early grades often stay behind.United Way helps kids stay on track in school and achieve key milestones. After only one year of tutoring, 62% of students, who started below grade level, improved their reading and literacy performance. United Way has 58 volunteer tutors working in 95 classrooms and helping 415 students. Experience Corps is part of United Way's Square One Project, United Way’s commitment to end poverty starting in school.

This group of dynamic women is dedicated to ensuring local foster youth are prepared for a successful transition to independence and ready for success in life. Women United supports the United Way’s Square One Project, our commitment to end poverty by increasing the number of kids who graduate from high school ready for college and career. Women United members: • Raise funds to support United Way’s foster youth programs including matched savings accounts that help foster youth successfully transition from foster care. • Lead life skills workshops that help foster youth manage personal finances, apply for scholarships, navigate the college systems, and prepare for interviews. • Provide members with meaningful networking and volunteer experiences that enrich our community.

United Way's Young Leaders Society (YLS) brings together young professionals who are passionate about ending poverty by helping kids succeed in school. Members support the Square One Project, United Way's 20-year promise to significantly increase the number of local kids who graduate from high school ready for success in college and career.

Summer STARS ensures that every child in the Sacramento region at risk of falling behind in school stays on track for the next school year and has access to healthy meals and fun learning opportunities throughout the summer months. Summer STARS helps combat the summer slide by offering free educational enrichment programming at 20 convenient neighborhood locations throughout the Sacramento region starting in June through August. Creates a fun and safe summer spot for kids and families in their neighborhood Provides kids with free healthy meal throughout the summer Offers early literacy curriculum and fitness activities designed for Kindergarten through 6th Graders Encourages kids’ participation and attendance with the opportunity to earn weekly STARS badges and Summers STARS backpack at the end of the summer Tracks program impacts with reading assessments at the start and end of the summer Help us keep kids on track for the next school year and ready to achieve with a gift to support United Way’s Summer STARS.