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The United Way of Whatcom County believes the three basic building blocks that provide the foundation for a good quality of life are: Education, Income, and Health. To ensure the continued success for our communtiy and improve the quality of life for our residents, the United Way of Whatcom County is working hard to:
- Improve access to quality, affordable child care and early learning opportunities
- Partner with schools and parents to improve graduation rates
- Provide after-school and mentoring programs for at-risk youth
Why support Education?
The United Way of Whatcom County realizes high school dropouts are 12 years in the making, therefore we support early learning programs that have been proven to make a positive difference in the community. The Whatcom County drop-out rate is approximately 22% (Washington state is 30%). If the high school completion rate was raised by merely 1 percent among men ages 20-60 it would save the United States $1.4 billion annually in crime related costs. Additionally, if the national dropout rates were cut in half, it would generate nearly $45 billion in new tax revenue. |
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How are we making a difference?
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The GRADS program gave 20 young mothers and expectant mothers the ability to finish their education and also provided childcare for 13 babies while the mothers were in class.
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182 children and their families received 13,000 early intervention service hours from the Whatcom Center for Early Learning staff.
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80 percent of the 500 individuals who received free tutoring through the Whatcom Literacy Council achieved at least one of their personal goals.
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90,000 hours of affordable child care was provided for 160 children by Bellingham Childcare and Learning Center.
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The Girl Scouts Troop Program provided 62,000 contact hours through service programs for 689 girls.
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