The congregation’s three-year pledge will help fund Early Childhood Achievement Gap Solutions and preschool scholarships for families in need.

GREENWICH, Conn., April 9, 2026 – Round Hill Community Church (RHCC) has committed a donation of $10,000 for three consecutive years to Greenwich United Way (GUW) specifically for Early Childhood Achievement Gap Solutions (ECAGS) and preschool scholarships for families in need.

RHCC’s Outreach Committee researched causes of need in Greenwich and decided on GUW’s early childhood education initiatives to make a direct and long-term impact, assist local families in need, and be an active partner to GUW.

“Our mission at Round Hill Community Church is to be a force for good with God. We actively seek opportunities to be that force in a positive way and help the most vulnerable,” said Rev. Dr. Ed Horstmann, senior pastor at RHCC. “We recognize the need to be there for the long haul to foster meaningful change for the better. By working with GUW and funding ECAGS and preschool scholarships, we directly and consequentially benefit families in need and positively change the academic trajectory of young students in town.”

Since its inception in May 2018 working with local education partners, ECAGS takes a research-based approach to narrow the achievement gap among young students and has worked with more than 1,000 families in Greenwich.

Achievement gaps occur when one group of students outperforms another and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant. National research shows that 60 percent to 70 percent of the achievement gap is evident by age 5. Significant contributing factors early in a child’s life may include toxic stress, which can impair cognitive development, and lack of access to high-quality pre-school, which can impair kindergarten readiness. Greenwich, even with its well-funded and distinguished public school system, has inequities between expensive, high-quality childcare programs and those that serve children and families from low-income and multi-factor high-needs populations. ECAGS was developed to combat the major systemic problems in early childhood education that deprive many of the youngest and most precious learners of a chance for long-term academic success.

Along with ECAGS, the RHCC donation will support GUW’s Early Childhood Scholarship Program, a need-based initiative dedicated to providing financial assistance to individuals who face economic challenges to ensure access to early childhood education. The program aims to break down barriers and create opportunities for those who may otherwise be hindered by financial constraints. Scholarship recipients must reside in Greenwich, provide evidence of financial need, and must be age eligible for an early childhood education program. Scholarships can be used for Greenwich-based programs only.

“We are grateful for the generosity and partnership of the Round Hill Community Church to strengthen early childhood development and expand opportunities for preschoolers and their families,” said David Rabin, CEO of GUW. “By providing educational support for the youngest learners in town, the Round Hill congregation is directly and purposefully improving the circumstances for some of the most vulnerable families in our community.”

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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. For more information, visit https://greenwichunitedway.org, or follow us on Instagram and Facebook.