Health care professionals gather at United Way to learn how to improve coordination and continuity of care

Nationally recognized physician Dr. Eric Coleman shares his research and proven methods

United Way of Miami-Dade and Health Foundation of South Florida partnered to bring nationally recognized physician Eric Coleman, M.D., MPH, to Miami-Dade, a community with more than 485,000 residents over the age of 60, many suffering from chronic illnesses and dealing with different health care situations and transitions. Coleman,...









director of the Health Transitions Program and professor at the University of Colorado, spoke at United Way to representatives from nearly 30 health care organizations, including local hospitals, for and non-profit health care agencies, nursing homes and government offices.

Dr. Coleman’s expertise is in the area known in the medical community as “transitional care,” a set of actions designed to ensure the coordination and continuity of health care as patients transfer between different locations or levels of care within one location. He discussed how agencies can change systems and practices to ease care transitions.

According to Dr. Coleman, agencies should:

• Use a transitions coach to enhance the role of patients and caregivers in improving the quality of their care transitions across different levels of health care settings.
• Measure quality of care transitions from the perspective of patients and caregivers
• Implement system-level quality improvement interventions or programs
• Use health information technology to promote safe and effective care transitions

“As the number of older adults continues to increase in our community, so does our interest in making sure that South Florida health care providers are prepared to meet their needs in the most effective ways,” Harve Mogul, president and CEO, United Way, said.

As a call to action, Coleman informed guests that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services is providing grants to community organizations to furnish evidence-based care transition services. Agencies are encouraged to partner with other community-based and private healthcare organizations to apply for a grant. More information about the grants can be found at http://www.cms.gov/DemoProjectsEvalRpts/MD/itemdetail.asp?itemID=CMS1239313.

The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education celebrates fifth anniversary

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.

To view pictures visit us on Facebook.

United Way Young Leaders kicked off the New Year at Dream South Beach Hotel's HIGHBAR

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.

United Way launches Read Together/Leer Juntos to encourage a love for reading before kindergarten

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.

The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education Demonstration School earns national NAEYC accreditation

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.