Why Children Matter | Why Connecting People Matters | Why Self-Sufficiency Matters

Why Children Matter?

The human mind develops 80% of its total growth by the age of one. Everything a child does during the first 3 years of life affects their ability learn, their behavior, and their personality. Education starts with the child's environment. Children who are raised in a positive environment that is safe, has good nutrition and age-appropriate play learn more and are healthier in all ways. Children exposed to neglect, violence or poverty struggle to learn and their development (social, physical, emotional, memory) is stunted.

Education is the primary means of attaining equal opportunity in our nation. Colorado is ranked 44th in the nation of the percentage of teens that drop out of school. 33% of Colorado's kindergarten children are not emotionally or socially ready to learn.

High quality child care and education programs have a positive developmental influence on our children--especially, our children at risk. These programs produce higher IQ scores, improved language, higher likelihood to delay parenting and less likelihood of being arrested.

United Way of Weld County proudly partners with various agencies on children’s issues

A Woman's Place * A Kid's Place * Boy Scouts * Boys & Girls Club * Bright Beginnings * C.A.R.E * Envision and Connections for Independent Living * Eaton Baseball Program * Family Support Network* Fort Lupton Recreational Program * Girl Scouts * Highland Day Care Center * Island Grove Treatment Center * Kersey Recreation * La Salle Recreation * Partners * School Volunteer Project * Thompson Rivers Recreation Program * North Range Behavioral Health * Promises for Children * Suicide Education and Support Services * Windsor Recreation Program

For more Information see the United Way 2-1-1 pages.

More Facts

• 28% of Colorado's children are under the age of 5 and 15% of them live in poverty. Childhood poverty is one of the 5 central challenges to education service delivery.
   
• Businesses pay more than $4 billion for uncompensated health care costs for poor mothers and newborns. 32% of our mothers did not get pre-natal care.
   
• For every $1 spent on child care programs, taxpayers save $7 in the costs of remedial education, welfare, unemployment, and the criminal justice system.
   
• Annually, it costs $1,000 for in-home service to at-risk families. It costs $34,000 a year for a prison inmate. Four out of five of people in prison were abused or neglected as children.
   
• 32% of our counties live births are to moms with no high school degree.