UWSC_ACES Case Statement Booklet FINAL
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WHAT’S YOUR
FUTURE WORKFORCE
LOOK LIKE?
When I grow up starts today
ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood.
The more ACEs the greater the risk of harm. Research shows
that reducing the risk of ACEs and building upon protective
factors reduces the health and economic costs related to ACEs.
This is what we’re
driving towards –
A Brighter Future.
Here’s the thing:
Stark County children have more ACEs
than children in other communities.
In Ohio, the elimination of ACEs
would save more than $10B in
health care and related spending,
as well as $319M due to lost wages
from missed work. The costs of
interventions related to ACEs far
outweigh modest investments in
prevention in early childhood.
HEALTH CARE &
RELATED SPENDING
$10 BILLION
LOST WAGES
$319 MILLION
Our goal is to invest more than $15 million over the next three years
through our Brighter Futures Campaign into programming focused on
serving families with young children, ages 0-8, who live in the highest
poverty neighborhoods.
We envision a community where all
children realize their full potential.
Every child has great potential. When children experience intense or
persistent stress and instability, they lack a strong foundation for learning,
health and behavior. Achievement gaps are highest where there are
opportunity gaps.
May we explain?
Future
Nail Designer
I see challenges with
the increase in poverty
in our community.
❝
Jeff Talbert,
Superintendent of
Canton City Schools
When I grow up
starts today.
Imagine it.
❝
For these are all our
children, we will all
profit by or pay for
what they become.
James Baldwin
Everybody talks about the job
creators. What about the employee
creators? They aren’t born; they are
built. Because not every neighborhood
has the same resources – access to
health, education, jobs, housing, or
safety, we work to remove barriers or
build bridges.
There are neighborhoods in our
community where there are persistent
levels of poverty.
Unfortunately, living in poverty
prevents far too many from reaching
their potential as they contend with
toxic stress born out of household
instability and family conflict resulting
in lower academic achievement and
lower levels of resiliency.
Stark County’s childhood poverty
rate is 20%, although certain
neighborhoods are as high as
81%. The highest rates of poverty
are among the youngest in our
community. These are the same areas
where kindergarten readiness and
reading comprehension among third
graders is lowest.
Our work is focused on serving
families with young children, ages
0-8, who live in poverty. These
children experience significant gaps
in opportunities, ultimately leading
to gaps in achievement. Our entire
community pays for the achievement
gap – not only in the cost of
interventions, but more importantly
their potential as community
members is stalled, if not capped.
As a community, we must better
support developing children and the
adults who care for them, otherwise
we all pay for a lack of quality
employees, intervention and lack
of productivity.
Your investment can unleash the
vast potential of a student to launch
into a future of success. Our Strong
Neighborhoods, Strong Families
program is demonstrating impressive
early success. Join us for a tour –
you’ll be impressed.
So, will you join
us in creating a
Brighter Future?
Percent of children (under 18 years) whose income
in the past 12 months is below poverty level.
Percent of children
in poverty
Canal Fulton
Lake Twp.
Marlboro
Lexington Twp.
Alliance
STARK
MASSILON
Meyers Lake
Lawrence Twp.
Jackson Twp.
North Canton
Hills & Dales
Canton
East Canton
Canton Twp.
Osnaburg Twp.
Perry Twp.
Massilon
Tuscarawas Twp.
Brewster
Navarre
Sugar Creek Twp.
Beach City
Wilmot
Bethlehem Twp.
Pike Twp.
East Sparta
Sandy Twp.
Waynesburg
Magnolia
Louisville
Nimishillen Twp.
Washington Twp.
Paris Twp.
Minerva
Carrollton
> 60% - 81%
> 20% - 40%
> 0% - 10%
10% - 20%
> 40% - 60%
Future
Zoo Keeper
We are developing
the next generation
of leaders for our
community.❝
Jeff Talbert,
Superintendent of
Canton City Schools
the next generation
of leaders for our
Together, childhood poverty and ACEs are linked to worse outcomes
in nearly every aspect of life from physical, mental and behavioral
health to educational attainment to job opportunities and success,
as well as reduced quality of life and lifelong earning potential.
We know that participation
in prevention programs
leads to better outcomes
for young children and their
families. Accomplishments
early in life cultivate success
in later life: increasing
kindergarten readiness
leads to better third-grade
reading scores, which in turn
leads to better eighth-grade
math scores, which in turn
leads to higher graduation
rates, and postsecondary
education leads to future
employees. Stronger skills
and relationships protect
against the risk of ACEs and
improves the resiliency of
those who do face adversity.
These skills lead to stronger
employees, families, and
community members. To
shore up future generations,
we need to invest early in
cost-effective strategies.
That’s what our Brighter
Futures Campaign is all
about.
In 2022, 48% of Ohio students
entered kindergarten on track.
Stark County averages 47%,
however that ranges
anywhere from 27% to 73%
per district.
In 2022, 68% of Ohio students
achieved third- grade
proficiency; while Stark
County averages 67%, the
range by district is anywhere
from 33% to 84%.
Our goal is to have students
across the county on track
with the State average,
if not performing better.
Early childhood learning
experiences shape children
into the adults they become.
WE FOCUS ON
3 PRINCIPLES
RECOMMENDED
TO IMPROVE
OUTCOMES
FOR CHILDREN
AND FAMILIES
1. REDUCE SOURCES OF STRESS
2. STRENGTHEN CORE SKILLS
(healthy development, executive
function, and self-regulation)
3. SUPPORT RESPONSIVE
RELATIONSHIPS
We invest in evidence-based programs to reduce the
incidence or impact of ACEs on children in poverty. We do
this by building protective factors and reducing risk factors.
Protective factors largely fall into building core skills,
supporting responsive relationships or reducing sources
of stress and are built through the following strategies:
• EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION &
HOME VISITING PROGRAMS
• PARENT/CAREGIVER SKILLS TRAINING
• MENTORING OR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS
WITH A SOCIAL EMOTIONAL COMPONENT
• SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY-BASED
VIOLENCE PREVENTION
• IMMEDIATE ECONOMIC SUPPORTS THAT
IMPROVE HOUSEHOLD STABILITY & REDUCE
STRESS OF THE ADULTS THAT CARE FOR
YOUNG CHILDREN
(Center on the Developing Child at Harvard
University (2021). Three Principles to Improve
Outcomes for Children and Families, 2021
Update. http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu)
Growing up my family consisted of myself,
my mother, my brother, my sister, and my
stepfather. My biological father was never
involved in my life. Neither of my parents
worked, so we were dependent on public
assistance to survive. My stepfather was an
abusive alcoholic and, as a result, domestic
violence and substance abuse issues were
things I experienced or witnessed on a regular
basis. Being beaten or kicked yourself, or
watching your siblings and mother being hit
and choked, are not things you can forget and
just move on with your day; particularly when
you are a child, and you don’t understand why
things have to be this way.
I remember moving around quite a bit as a
child, I had always thought it was because
my parents liked to live in different places,
but later I realized it was due to being evicted.
I remember sharing bath water with my
siblings because my mother had to heat it in
pans on the electric stove because we had
our gas shut off. Or staying huddled in one
room with blankets hung on the doors to keep
heat in that room because we were heating
it with a kerosene heater. I was grateful for
the child support my biological father paid
every month. He paid $25 for me and $25
for my brother. There were many times that
the child support gave us food to stretch to
the beginning of the month when the next
assistance check would come in. I remember
the Minerva Police Department giving us
coats, hats, and gloves one winter and I was
so happy to have the warmth. We often would
have to turn to others for assistance with
utilities, food, clothing, and rent.
My earliest memory of school as a child was
coming in from recess and, as all of us kids
were filing in, the teacher pulled me aside.
The teacher got down on one knee and began
to wipe dirt from my face. As she did this,
she was berating me about being dirty, about
having dirty clothes and asking me if I want
to be like my parents and “be on welfare
my whole life.” I don’t remember everything
she said but I remember how it made me
feel, I felt an extreme amount of shame and
helplessness. I remember thinking, it’s not my
fault my parents don’t work. I turned 50 this
year and every time I think of this incident, I
can remember those feelings. You feel a lot
of different emotions growing up in poverty-
shame, fear, anxiety, helplessness, and anger.
A Child’s
Dream for a
Brighter Future:
Matt Kreitzer’s Story
MISSION:
United Way of Greater Stark County builds our community’s capacity
to alleviate the impact of poverty and empower families to unleash
their potential.
With more than a 100-year legacy of serving this community, we have
evolved from a fundraising organization that funded many worthy
causes to a community problem-solver that mobilizes partners to
lessen the impact of poverty on the current generation in order to
address the root causes of poverty for the next. We lead change by
supporting evidence based practices targeting prevention, disparities,
and equity.
VISION:
We envision a community where all children realize their full potential.
401 Market Avenue North
Suite 300
Canton, Ohio 44702
330-491-0445
uwstark.org
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