BRIDGEPORT PROSPERS/UNITED WAY WORK HIGHLIGHTED BY PRITZKER CHILDREN’S INITIATIVE

Chosen as 1 of 3 case studies featured in national NCIT Online Solution Center to advance young children’s development

The Bridgeport Prospers strategy for improving outcomes of the youngest children–known as The Baby Bundle—is featured on the recently-launched website of National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers (NCIT).    The website, known as the NCIT Online Solution Center, is funded by the Pritzker Children’s Initiative and is designed to focus on solutions, providing resources and guidance for those working to be champions for infants, toddlers, and their families. The Bridgeport Prospers work was one of three cases studies chosen for the website launch.

“The NCIT and Bridgeport Prospers/United Way are allied in our focus on the first three years of a child’s life.  During this period, rapid brain development lays the foundation for all future learning, behavior and health,” commented Allison Logan, Executive Director of Bridgeport Prospers.  “We are honored to have our work recognized by the NCIT.”

The NCIT Online Solution Center is a resource for policymakers, influencers, and early childhood leaders to find the latest information and tools for developing impactful, data-informed policies and programs for infants and toddlers.  Along with featuring case studies, the site includes state and community data on infants, toddlers and their families; guidance on building pre-natal to three plans; and information on measuring impact, research-based messaging to garner investment support, and work happening around the country so that decision makers and advocates can connect with each other.

The Bridgeport Prospers Baby Bundle was chosen for its systematic, data-driven approach, involvement of all stakeholders, and grounding in the neuroscience of early brain development.  The Baby Bundle isn’t a single innovation, but rather a group of supports for pregnant women, children birth to three, families, and other caregivers.  These include:

• Caregiver supports, specifically, home visiting programs, a parenting mobile application called Sparkler, the Bridgeport Basics parenting practices, and early literacy programs from Read to Grow and Reach Out and Read.
• Early identification of and supports for at-need children and families, through integrating data systems from key sectors (e.g., health and education) 
• Expansion of trauma-informed awareness and practices by community providers.

“The Baby Bundle seeks to ensure that all Bridgeport babies are born healthy and reach age-appropriate milestones by age three,” noted Logan.   

The Baby Bundle is one strategy of Bridgeport Prospers, a local collective impact movement devoted to changing outcomes for all children, from cradle to career.   It is a member of StriveTogether, a national nonprofit working to bring communities together around data to make decisions and improve results for kids.  Bridgeport Prospers is an initiative of the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County, a leading catalyst for social change.

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 Bridgeport Prospers

Bridgeport Prospers mission is to work collectively as a community of stakeholders to have a positive, measureable, and sustainable impact on outcomes for all children and families, from cradle to career.  We focus on a set of seven common outcomes, from healthy and ready at three and kindergarten readiness, to high school graduation and career readiness.   The initiative receives backbone support from the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County.  Find out more at http://www.unitedwaycfc.org/bridgeportprospers

Pritzker Children’s Initiative (PCI)

The Pritzker Children’s Initiative (PCI), a project of the J.B. and M. K. Pritzker Family Foundation, is committed to building a promising future for our country by investing in and supporting solutions in early childhood development for children prenatal to age three, with the goal of every child reaching kindergarten ready to learn.

The National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers (NCIT)

Funded through the Pritzker Children’s Initiative, NCIT brings together national partners, early childhood leaders, philanthropy, policymakers and practitioners inside and outside state and local government to create and strengthen promising policies and programs, and share what works, so that more states and communities can support the healthy development of our youngest children.

United Way of Coastal Fairfield County

United Way of Coastal Fairfield County’s mission is:  “Together, we mobilize our communities to improve people’s lives.”  Our vision is that all children in Coastal Fairfield County are successful in school and prepared for success in life.    UWCFC serves the towns of Bridgeport, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston, Westport, and Wilton.  Find out more at http://www.unitedwaycfc.org

 StriveTogether

StriveTogether is a national movement with a clear purpose: help every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, zip code or circumstance. In partnership with nearly 70 communities across the country, StriveTogether provides resources, best practices and processes to give every child every chance for success. The StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network reaches 10.5 million students, involves 10,800 organizations and has partners in 30 states and Washington D.C.