United Way of Greater Austin is helping with community childcare

AUSTIN, Texas —

The United Way of Greater Austin shared how many people the organization has been able to help this past year in its recently released impact numbers.

United Way aims to help fight poverty in the community by connecting people to resources, and its latest report runs from July 2021 through June 2022. 

This report highlights how much money it raised, how much money was put back into the community and how many people were helped. 

“We believe the United Way that when one of us suffers, we all suffer. And when one of us thrives, we all thrive,” said United Way of Greater Austin CEO David Smith. “We’re all better off if we invest in the entire community to make sure that everybody can thrive and reach their full potential.”

One of the people that the organization has been able to help is Andromeda Vega. Vega is in the Parenting Students Project program, which provides a stipend and helps her with childcare while she goes to nursing school. 

“I feel like my grades would have lacked the lot without this program. And I also feel like I have support with the United Way,” explained Vega. “I have other connections. They’re like, ‘Oh yeah, if you’re interested, the United Way has connections with everything.'”

Additionally, United Way works to improve early childcare outcomes. For many parents in need, those services include finding somewhere for their child to go for care and early education. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, United Way says the State has lost about 20% of the childcare supply for parents. The organization is working to help, but say there is still work to be done. 

“We’ve done a lot of work to stabilize the sector with an influx of federal, state and local funds. But, right now, what we’re seeing is a significant crisis of being able to staff childcare centers so that they can meet the needs of working families and also community,” said United Way of Greater Austin Vice President for Success Basics Cathy McHorse. 

Its Navigation Center includes a phone number people can call to get connected to resources – 211. Additionally, a new program that United Way has created is called Connect ATX, where people can search for resources for different needs that they may have. 

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