Greenwich United Way Hosts Screening of Award-Winning Film ‘Resilience’ with Direct Impact Partners to Highlight the Early Childhood Achievement Gap Solutions Initiative

On Wednesday, September 26, the Greenwich United Way (GUW) along with Direct Impact partners; Family Centers, YMCA of Greenwich, and Greenwich Public Schools, hosted an event to promote the new Early Childhood Achievement Gap Solutions (ECAGS) program. GUW launched their research-based approach to narrow the achievement gap which focuses on two approaches: (1) Greenwich Parents as Teachers and (2) Pre-school Instructional Coaching.

Dr. Janice Gruendel Ph.D., a leading expert on early childhood development and education, was invited by the Greenwich United Way to moderate the event which included the screening of award-winning film, Resilience, followed by a discussion with the audience. Greenwich International Film Festival partnered with Greenwich United Way to promote the event.

Resilience chronicles “the dawn of a movement” that is determined to protect children from the insidious effects of toxic stress through cutting-edge science and field-tested therapies. Resilience premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and has been presented at other film festivals around the country. “This film demonstrates how toxic stress at a young age is putting youth at a greater risk for disease, homelessness, prison time, and early death,” explained Dr. Gruendel, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Child Success. She continued, “I am so eager to think with Greenwich United Way about our advancing the Baby Bundle work in Greenwich.”

During the event, Greenwich United Way CEO, David Rabin provided attendees with an ECAGS program update and talked about the importance on collaboration among local agencies. “When we think about meeting a health, education or self-sufficient need in our community we ask ourselves how this need developed and who is best positioned to address it,” said Rabin. He continued, “We’re on a mission to uncover needs and foster collaboration within our town but we also have a responsibility to maintain our reputation of providing lasting results. To do this we need to understand the full scope of the issue by taking a closer look. During a time when there are so many agencies in need of funding, we’re looking towards the future and how to best and most efficiently invest in our community. We believe the answer is at birth”.

The first prong of the ECAGS program is Greenwich Parents as Teachers (GPAT), an evidence-based home visitation program for at-risk families and their children from the prenatal period through 3 years of age which is being administered by Family Centers. The second prong supports community preschools at Family Centers and the YMCA with instructional coaching.

The Parents as Teachers (PAT) model for providing services to families with children from the prenatal period to kindergarten has been tested by rigorous peer-reviewed studies and shown to produce results. According to research, at-risk children in Greenwich are entering kindergarten 28 to 36 points behind their non-at-risk peers. The second prong of this program focuses on supporting 13 classrooms that serve children three to five years old with a preschool instructional coach to enhance and enrich those settings. A Yale University study showed that inserting an instructional coach in preschools is eight times more effective than sending those teachers to traditional workshops. Research also showed that the achievement gap starts before kindergarten and when at-risk children go through both programs they will enter kindergarten on a level playing field with their non-at-risk peers.

Last fall, Robert Moore was brought on to the Greenwich United Way staff as the Director of Community Impact. During this past year, Mr. Moore has met with Direct Impact partners to ensure the program launches successfully and is working with experts in childhood education to develop and tailor the ECAGS program to best meet the need in the Greenwich community. “Part of my process in leading this initiative at Greenwich United Way is to help the community understand our challenges”, said Moore. He continued, “The documentary reveals, through following pioneers and innovators in pediatrics, education, and social welfare, that there is a way to predict and prevent the negative impacts from toxic stress. It was interesting to see how the community reacted to this presentation and information.”

The Greenwich United Way has plans to screen the film again. For more information please contact the Director of Community Impact, Rob Moore, by phone at (203) 612-9587 or email (rmoore@greenwichunitedway.org).

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About Greenwich United Way Early Childhood Achievement Gap Solutions (ECAGS)
The Greenwich United Way Early Childhood Achievement Gap Solutions (ECAGS) program was launched by the Greenwich United Way under the organization’s Direct Impact Programs in May of 2018. In collaboration with our service partners, Family Centers, Greenwich Family YMCA, and Greenwich Public Schools, the program’s objective is to narrow the achievement gap through a two-pronged approach: an evidence-based home visitation program for low-income families and children ages birth to 3 coupled with an enriched pre-school instructional coaching program serving a large percentage of low-income children ages 3-5. The Greenwich United Way provides the only ongoing funding for the program. For more information please visit Greenwich United Way online (https://greenwichunitedway.org/direct-impact-programs/). #GUWECAGS

About Greenwich United Way
The Greenwich United Way (GUW) shares a name with approximately 1,200 other similar organizations across the nation, although the Greenwich, Connecticut division is a privately incorporated, locally governed, nonprofit agency. As a volunteer-driven organization, the Greenwich United Way exists to help identify and address the health, educational and self-sufficiency needs specific to its local community and to create and affect meaningful, lasting solutions. Through various fundraising efforts and on-going research, the organization is able to directly grant the funds necessary to accomplish this goal. The Greenwich United Way also invests in and conducts collaborative efforts to address broad-based community needs with partnering nonprofit agencies. Visit Greenwich United Way online to learn more (greenwichunitedway.org). Instagram @GreenwichUnitedWay Twitter @GreenwichUW #WeAreGreenwich

About Family Centers
Family Centers’ continuum of 25 health, education and human service programs offers families a multi-generational solution to closing the Achievement/Opportunity Gap. Our services focus on the entire family to provide continuous support as children progress through school and begin careers. By addressing the root causes of the Achievement Gap at the earliest stages (prenatally) and intervening throughout a child’s life, Family Centers is ensuring local families gain the tools they need to achieve long-term success. For more information, visit: www.familycenters.org.

About YMCA of Greenwich
Founded in 1916, the YMCA is the largest community-based membership organization in Greenwich. Part of a well-known YMCA national network, the Greenwich Y has over 5,500 members and growing. Its programs in healthy living and youth development seek to serve and nurture the potential of everyone in our community, whether or not they have the ability to pay for its programs. To learn more about the YMCA of Greenwich, membership and its numerous wellness programs, visit: greenwichymca.org

About Greenwich Public Schools
The Greenwich Public Schools (GPS), Greenwich, CT provides students with a comprehensive PK-12 educational program. GPS is a future-ready district focused on meeting individual learning needs across a beautifully diverse population. The District consists of eleven neighborhood elementary schools (K-5), three middle schools (6-8), and one high school (9-12). Students are assigned to elementary and middle schools based on residential attendance areas. Four of the elementary schools and one middle school also serve as magnet schools, offering a programmatic choice for families. A tuition and lottery-based preschool program is also offered for residents and employees of the Town of Greenwich.

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