At United Way of Story County (UWSC), we believe that when we are United together, we can find solutions that make long-lasting, positive change in the lives of individuals and families, which is why our 2017 LIVE UNITED campaign theme is United Together. Finding Solutions, Changing Lives. We do this because every person in our community has a right to have a good quality of life.
This month, we are sharing how donations made to UWSC are making a real impact and are Changing Lives in the areas of education, income, and health. This week, we will focus on how United Way funded childcare centers are able to offer a sliding fee scale that reduces the rate of childcare and improves the financial stability of moderate to low-income families.
Story Time Child Care Center is one of four childcare centers in Story County that offers a sliding fee scale with the help of UWSC funding. The center offers daycare, preschool, before and after school care, and drop-in care for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years in the Collins-Maxwell area.
Based on household income, the sliding fee scale allows families to receive necessary childcare services at a reduced rate. This allows parents to go to work or school with the assurance that their income will stretch beyond childcare costs to help pay for other basic needs like food and utilities. At Story Time Child Care Center, eighty percent of their childcare families utilize the service.
In addition to Story Time Child Care Center, UWSC supports the sliding fee scale at ACPC, ChildServe, and University Community Childcare. Without these programs in Story County, many parents would not be able to afford childcare, significantly limiting their ability to work or provide their children with quality care that offers educational programs and stability. With the sliding fee scale, a family’s financial stability improves and lives are changed.
Next week, we will share another way in which we are Changing Lives by helping women in Story County improve their financial stability by attending a money management series offered through our Women United program. With your support UWSC can continue to fight for the education, income, and health of every person in our community.
To learn more about UWSC’s funding in local programs, visit www.uwstory.org or call (515) 268-5142.
United Way of Story County is a strategic leader in building countywide partnerships to identify needs and to develop, support and evaluate effective human services, especially in the areas of education, income and health, for our diverse community.