Dear U4C Family United 4 Children is excited to present to you our 2016 Annual Report showing how you

have helped to improve the social, emotional, physical & cognitive well-being of children

throughout Missouri & Illinois. You play a key role in helping us continue our mission &

helped to impact the lives of nearly 17,000 children in 2016!

We truly appreciate all that you have done to support United 4 Children & thank you for

your commitment to investing in our children.

On behalf of the children served, staff, & the Board of Directors, thank you for making

positive change in your community & being a part of the U4C family!

Please keep reading to learn more about the impacts we made together. We look forward

to working with you to continue building a bright future for our children. Let’s keep up the

great work!

Sincerely, Dawn Winkler Executive Director

Our Mission United 4 Children improves the social,

emotional, physical, & educational well-being of our children by enriching the

knowledge of families, teachers, & caregivers.

Our Vision United 4 Children envisions a future where all children

achieve educational & life success.

President Jerry Schaefer Director, HRIS Express Scripts, Inc. Executive Vice President Vincent Reese Principal Partner Mickes O’Toole, LLC Alyson Appleton Advantage Capitol Partners Nikole Banks Quality Analyst Nestle Purina PetCare James Baize Vice President/Commercial Banker First Bank Robert Derickson Senior Director Enable Midstream Partners Philipp Ebert Owner/Executive Coach Stretch the Edge Paul Eppen President/Owner ESM Marketing STL

Scott Glaeser Vice President, Midwest Region G2 Integrated Solutions Kristen Lahey Data Analyst, Strategic Analytics Nestle Purina PetCare Dominick Lesinski Account Manager Orbital Engineering Lynn Martin District Engineer Nalco Water Treasurer Paul Mertens Assistant Manager of Fuel Planning Ameren Vice-President of Governance Michael Mueller VP of Economic & Technology Development Ameren Vice-President of Programs Karla Olson Community Volunteer

Roberto Ortiz Washington University Fellow Richard Priest Community Volunteer Donna Scott Senior Director of Finance Connections to Success Patrick Shaw Owner/Broker Complete Street Real Estate Michael Siebers Vice President Sales & Marketing Peabody Joseph Simonis Senior Data Scientist Edward Jones Vice-President of Development Glen Slay Executive Vice President Slay Industries James Sobule Community Volunteer Kristen Tatum Grainger Industrial Supply

A special thanks to our dedicated & generous board members who continue to successfully lead United 4 Children!

16,845 Children Served!

9,072 children received 2 healthy meals each day

575 childcare educators received financial assistance & nutritional guidance

Healthy Nutrition

69 teachers learned how to understand & support children exhibiting challenging behaviors

645 children were kindergarten ready

83% of teachers increased their knowledge on quality standards

24:1 Early Childhood Learning Center

87% of educators increased their childhood development

knowledge

Career Development

2,885 school age youth flourished in engaging & educational after school programs

7,512 children impacted

29 families & youth workers learned how to reduce child abuse & neglect

Strengthening Families

493 children gained the social & emotional skills needed to be successful in life

32 children received quality care & early education to achieve

school readiness

475 caregivers trained to provide inclusive support

U4C is the only MO State funded program addressing the federal recommendation of reducing suspension rates

85% of children maintained quality placement

Inclusion Services

99% of teachers made positive program changes

Road to Quality

National Interest in replicating our

program

77% of at-risk children moved into age-appropriate development ranges by end of year

Social Emotional Early Childhood (SEEC)

75% of children screened met age-appropriate developmental

milestone by end of year

4000+ children impacted

Programs Achieving

Quality (PAQ)

97% of children assessed modeled positive peer behavior

Since Todd’s needs were discovered early through U4C services, his parents & teachers can use the information to help him flourish in school & life as he gets older.

Our Inclusion Services helped identify challenges that 4 year old Todd faced. He could only speak 2 - 3 words, his speech was difficult to understand, & he had difficulty communicating his needs.

With expert, targeted support, Todd was able to flourish at the 24:1 Early Childhood Center. The center utilizes best practices & is a model for quality early childhood education. The Programs Achieving Quality (PAQ) initiative teaches educators how to provide quality programs so that children like Todd have access to quality early childhood education.

Lucy is a spirited little girl whose parents work really hard to support her & give her everything she needs.

Since both of Lucy’s parents work during the day, there was no one home to be able to take care of her after school. Luckily for Lucy, her school worked with U4C through the Road to Quality project to provide a quality & engaging afterschool program.

There are many children like Lucy who need a safe place to go afterschool. Road to Quality trains afterschool professionals & assists with program development & program improvement for public school & non-public school afterschool programs in the St. Louis area.

A quality afterschool program allowed for Lucy to have a safe, fun, educational place to go while she waited for her parents to get home from work.

Meet Todd: 24:1 Early Childhood Learning Center Student

Meet Lucy: Afterschool Program Participant

Tom participated in the Social Emotional Early Childhood (SEEC) project . The goal of the SEEC project is to help teachers & students have a positive experience in the classroom.

Tom reached out to U4C to find a way to balance the needs of children who struggled with behavioral challenges, & the needs of the rest of his students.

After his first year with the program, Tom was amazed & delighted at the difference in the overall atmosphere of his classroom & behavior of all of the students. Not only were the behaviors much improved, but all of the children in the class responded positively to the changes that he made in the classroom.

Meet Jessica: In-Home Childcare Provider

Some of the children in Jessica’s care did not get meals at home. With U4C’s help, the children were able to eat 2 healthy snacks & meals every day through our Healthy Nutrition program.

By helping educators receive quality training & gain financial assistance to buy healthy snacks & meals for their children, U4C is ensuring that kids all over MO & IL have access to healthy & nutritious food & quality care.

Jessica sought out U4C for resources & tools to help her provide quality care for children in her home childcare. Jessica has participated in our Career Development trainings & workshops on a variety of topics that have helped develop her business skills & provide top quality care for her children.

Meet Tom: Preschool Teacher

Meet Our Volunteers & Community Partners

Association for Education of Young Children – MO Chapter Beyond Housing Forward Through Ferguson Mayor’s Commission on Young Children Missouri After School Network Missouri Children's Leadership Council Near Northside Providers Project Launch

Ready by 21 Regional Early Childhood Council SLU's APO - Gamma Family Special School District Advisory Board St. Louis Family & Community Partnership State of MO Early Childhood Comprehensive System State of MO Children & Youth Disaster Preparedness Wells Fargo

Meet Our Major Funders & Donors

Individuals  Robert & Sandy Derickson Deanna Finch & Scott Boyher Scott Glaeser James & Diane Karl Kristen Lahey Paul & Jeanne Mertens Charles & Janet Mueller Michael & Cookie Mueller Richard & Karen Priest Vincent Reese Theodore Sanditz Michael & Louann Siebers Glen & Carla Slay Becky Vogel Elisa & Ryan Zieg  

Organizations  Ameren American Commercial Barge Line Anders CPAs & Advisors Anonymous Donor Archford Capital Group ARCHS AT&T - Missouri Beyond Housing CGB Marine - Eagle Fleet Charah, LLC Commerce Bank Comprehensive Health Management Cutter and Company East Side River Transportation Inc. Emerson Charitable Trust Express Scripts, Inc.  

Fellowship of Christian Athletes First Bank Fox Family Foundation Gene and Joan Slay Charitable Foundation Joseph H. and Florence A. Roblee Foundation Knight Hawk Coal Mickes O'Toole, LLC Missouri Foundation for Health Nestle Purina PetCare Company Slay Industries St. Louis Mental Health Board State of Illinois State of Missouri Terra Engineering, Ltd. United Way of Greater St. Louis Vision for Children at Risk  *For the complete list of donors, please visit our website http://united4children.org/about-us/u4c-financial-information.

For 49 years, United 4 Children has partnered with caring individuals, organizations & corporations to improve the well-being of at-risk children & youth in Missouri & Illinois. Because of your support, we are

able to continue our important work & to help children every day. Thank You!

 

12 North Newstead Avenue St. Louis, MO 63108

(314) 531-1412 united4children.org

There are 17,000 reasons to thank you!

Thank you for uniting with us & supporting our vision of a future where all children, regardless of their challenges, achieve educational & life success! Thank you for improving the lives of children, families, caregivers & teachers! Thank you for knowing that all children deserve quality, safe, & secure environments! Thank you for being a part of the U4C family!