News Releases
Published by United Way
on 2/22/2012
Center received proclamations from City of Miami and Miami-Dade County for its accomplishments
Business and community leaders, national child advocates and United Way of Miami-Dade staff and volunteers gathered at the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education to celebrate its fifth year anniversary on Feb. 15. Over the last five years, the Center has worked with thousands of parents,...
educators and child care providers, countless community partners and dozens of institutions and organizations to raise the standards of early care and education in Miami-Dade and beyond.
The festivities took place in the Center’s playground, where United Way board chair Jayne Abess, Center committee co-chair Toni Randolph and United Way president and CEO Harve Mogul, welcomed guests, celebrated partnerships and revisited many of the Center’s accomplishments. Representatives for Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Mayor Tomas Regalado presented the Center with city and county proclamations, for its work to ensure that children have access to the highest quality early care and education.
“Let there be no doubt that what we started five years ago is making a difference in the way we care for and educate our children – here in our community and at the national level,” said Mogul. “Our work is far reaching; we are focused on changing the system by garnering the support from champions of early education to ensure that all children have the best possible start in school and in life.”
Guest speakers, including Bela Moté, of Educare Learning Network, praised the Center and its staff for their innovative work with adults and children, particularly for the successful dual language program, an asset that sets the Center apart from other prestigious Educare centers in the United States. Guests also heard from Claudia Uribe, a local preschool owner, who spoke of the invaluable professional development training she received at the Center, and from several parents whose families have been changed, because their children received care and inspiration from the staff of the Center’s Demonstration School.
As the morning came to a close, children from the School sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” in four languages to emphasize the importance of dual language acquisition and diversity and blew out candles on three celebratory cakes.
About the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education
The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education is an innovative learning, teaching, and training initiative dedicated to elevating the quality of early care and education in Miami-Dade and beyond. The Center models proven best practices, and shares those practices with adult learners including parents, educators and child care providers. The Center also works with business leaders and lawmakers to raise the standards of early childhood education, and support sustainable and lasting change. For more information, visit
www.unitedwaycfe.org.
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Published
on 2/2/2012
On Friday, Jan. 27, United Way Young Leaders society kicked off the New Year in style and in great company at HIGHBAR, Dream South Beach Hotel. More than 100 young professionals networked and learned more about the group and its impact on the community, while enjoying cocktails and appetizers provided by Tudor House.
Guests in attendance included Young Leaders Executive Committee members: Jessie Silverman, Charles West,...
Shenise Truesdell, Rush Norton and Matthew Anderson. Miami’s own, Kennard Cox, NFL player and Outside the Huddle founder was also in attendance.
The evening was sponsored by MDO Partners and its managing partner, Richard Montes de Oca, long-time supporter of United Way.
United Way Young Leaders is a group of 1,000 up-and-comers who each make an annual gift of $1,000 or more to United Way of Miami-Dade, and enjoy networking, volunteering, as well as personal and professional growth opportunities. For more information about Young Leaders, contact Ralph Pérez at
perezr@unitedwaymiami.org or visit United Way of Miami-Dade Young Leaders.
Click here to view photos of this event.
Published by United Way
on 2/2/2012
Become a volunteer: help improve early literacy skills in our young people
United Way of Miami-Dade is expanding its volunteer reader pilot program, now titled Read Together/Leer Juntos, to include up to 130 volunteer readers at 13 early learning centers across Miami-Dade. From Feb. 16 through May 24, these readers will be matched with 55-60 pre-K classrooms for an hour of story time each...
week, influencing nearly 1,000 students. The program is still seeking volunteers to help enhance literacy opportunities for young children and instill a love for reading, even before they can read for themselves.
For information on a center location and program specifics, please visit
www.unitedwaymiami.org/volunteerreaderprogram or contact Chantell King at
kingc@unitedwaymiami.org.
As part of the program, United Way is offering a training session for the volunteer readers, where they will learn about age-appropriate books, tips for reading to young children and receive a reader toolkit with sample activities and more.
“The United Way Volunteer Reader Program is a great way for residents to get involved with their community,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Promoting literacy and encouraging our youngest residents to read is a true win-win and will have a lasting impact.”
Research shows that children who learn to read well at an early age will not only read more independently, but also achieve more in math, social studies and science. They are also more likely to graduate from high school and pursue higher education. Investing in them pays off: the ROI includes higher graduation rates, better job skills, increased homeownership and less chance of criminal activities.
To learn more about the Read Together/Leer Juntos program or for tips on how to read to children, please visit
www.unitedwaymiami.org/VolunteerReaderProgram.
Published by United Way
on 2/1/2012
Only eight percent of all preschools and early childhood programs in the nation have earned this distinction
The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education Demonstration School, Educare of Miami-Dade, has earned accreditation from the
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – one of the nation’s leading...
organizations of early childhood professionals.
“Earning this mark of excellence from NAEYC is like winning an Oscar for our commitment to elevating the standards of early care and education,” Harve Mogul, president and CEO, United Way of Miami-Dade, said. “This accreditation further validates our vision that every child should have access to high quality early care and education, so they can have the best possible start in school and in life.”
In 2010, the School also received the (APPLE) Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment accreditation, awarded by the Florida Association for Child Care Management, another leading accrediting organization. The School is also a member of the Educare Learning Network, an exclusive network of high quality, high performing early education centers from around the country.
To earn NAEYC accreditation, the School went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the 10 NAEYC early childhood program standards and more than 400 related accreditation criteria. Then, NAEYC Assessors did an on-site visit to ensure that the program met all NAEYC standards. The School received accreditation for a five-year-period, and is subject to unannounced visits.
In the 25 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC – representing approximately
8 percent of all preschools and other early childhood programs.
“The NAEYC Accreditation system raises the bar for child care centers and other early childhood programs,” said Jerlean E. Daniel, Ph.D, executive director of NAEYC. “Having earned NAEYC Accreditation is a sign that the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education Demonstration School, Educare of Miami-Dade, is a leader in a national effort to invest in high-quality early childhood education.”
The NAEYC Accreditation system was created to set professional standards for early childhood education, and to help families identify high-quality preschools, child care centers and other early education programs. NAEYC is committed to utilizing the newest studies and analysis on positive child outcomes to ensure young children continue receiving the highest-quality care and education possible. For more information about NAEYC Accreditation, visit
www.naeyc.org/academy.
About the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education
The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education is an innovative learning, teaching, and training initiative dedicated to elevating the quality of early care and education in Miami-Dade and beyond. The Center models proven best practices through the Demonstration School, and shares those practices with adult learners including parents, educators and child care providers. The Center also works with business leaders and lawmakers to raise the standards of early childhood education, and support sustainable and lasting change. For more information, visit
www.unitedwaycfe.org.
Published
on 1/27/2012
United Way of Miami-Dade is launching a public awareness campaign to inform families who earn less than $49,078 annually that they can receive up to $5,751 in tax credits through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). In addition, the campaign is promoting dozens of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites in Miami-Dade that offer free tax services by IRS-certified volunteer preparers to those who qualify. This...
campaign is made possible by two separate grants - a $20,000 grant from Bank of America and a $15,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation.
United Way is utilizing radio and outdoor advertising to reach its target audience. The “Put more money in your pocket” message will be heard on Spanish, English and Creole radio stations and seen on Metrorail carts and stations. The campaign also combines public relations, website and social media outreach with a direct marketing component via United Way’s database of supporters and partner agencies. For detailed information, the community is encouraged to call 211 or visit
www.miamifinancialstability.org/EITC for detailed information.
In addition to free tax preparation, working individuals and families can access year-round financial services and support – from financial coaching to benefits enrollment to employment assistance and credit counseling – at the
United Way Center for Financial Stability.
“Each year billions of dollars in tax refunds are not claimed by the people who most need those funds, because they don’t know they qualify or how to properly file their taxes,” Harve A. Mogul, president and CEO, United Way of Miami-Dade, said. “We are grateful to Bank of America and Wal-Mart for their dedication to helping our neighbors file their taxes correctly and access much needed funds.”