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| Challenge Fund is a Success! |
The work identified in the Pathways to Progress report as critical to create opportunity for women and girls in our community needs your support.The WNY Women's Fund Board of Directors believes so strongly in the need for this critical work, that they personally donated $150,000 to create a Pathways to Progress Challenge Fund.
Over the past few months, the community has shown that they too believe in the importance of this mission by stepping up to the challenge and donating more than $150,000! Thank you to those who made a gift and helped us reach our fundraising goal. If you have not done so, please consider making a donation by visiting www.wnywomensfund.org. |
 Throughout the country, states have developed and implemented Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS) in response to research which has proven that young children experience positive life-long effects when exposed to excellence in early childhood. Systems of accountability have been instrumental in maximizing the use of state resources in order to prepare children for success in school and life, evidenced by greater school outcomes, less remediation, higher graduation and job placement rates, and reduced crime rates. The federal government has acknowledged the role that quality rating and improvement systems make, and it stands ready to invest in states that demonstrate an ability to implement these approaches.In January 2010, New York State embarked on a field test of its QRIS - QUALITYstarsNY. In the initial phase, approximately 200 programs from 13 communities across the state participated in a field test. There were eight participating centers in the Buffalo community. The field test data is being analyzed and the next bridge phase of the project has been developed.The WNY Women's Fund has awarded a $35,000 grant for the bridge phase to support the current eight local centers in the program as well as to provide capacity for eight new centers. The grant will continue and expand the work of the field test.The funds will support local centers but will be leveraged by public funds, private funds and in-kind contributions of more than $900,000.To learn more about QUALITYstarsNY visit http://www.qualitystarsny.org/ |
 Join us for another informational breakfast with Sherry Cleary, Executive Director of NYC Early Childhood Professional Development Institute and Co-chair of the Governor's Early Childhood Advisory Council, for a discussion on the importance of accessible, affordable quality day care options and the QUALITYstarsNY initiative.
Tuesday, January 25
8:30- 10:00 AM
Saturn Club (977 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo)
$10.00 per person
Please reserve your seat by e-mail to lindsay.delmont@uwbec.org or by calling 716-887-2621. |
| Pathways Challenge Fund Holiday Party |
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Amy Costanzo, Sue Militello, Suzanne Liolos
and Lisa Levin |
The WNY Women's Fund would like to thank Sue Militello, Amy Costanzo, Lisa Levin and Suzanne Liolos for hosting an amazing holiday party on December 17th, with more than 150 guests at the Militello home, to benefit the Fund's work.
We greatly appreciate their enthusiasm, efforts and generosity. More than $15,000 in funds were raised, and the net proceeds will be matched one-to-one by the Pathways Challenge Fund. If you are interested in hosting a party in your home or club to benefit the Women's Fund, please contact Monique Watts at Monique.watts@uwbec.org or call 716-887-2616. |
| Self Sufficiency Standard Webinar |
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You are invited to attend a Webinar
on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 10:00 AM
A look at the Self Sufficiency Standard for NYS 2010 |
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Susan Antos, Senior Staff Attorney with Empire Justice Center, will present the Self-Sufficiency Standard 2010. The Standard measures how much a family of a certain composition in a given location must earn to meet their basic needs. Employers, advocates, and legislators can use it to evaluate wages, provide career counseling, and create programs that lead to self-sufficiency.
Ms. Antos will provide detailed information about what the Standard is, how it differs from the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), the key aspects of the standard, and how it can be used by those who work with New York's families.
Please click here to register |
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| Community Support Highlights |
 "The Junior League of Buffalo has been in program development for the past year and a half, and the Pathways report was vital to our vote in November. The League's membership has voted to positively impact the female heads of household living in poverty in our community. We're grateful to the Womens Fund for developing the Pathways to Progress, not just for our internal use in program development, but to further educate our members on the our focus area of Families at Risk."
Beth Montague; President, Junior League of Buffalo
 "It is so critical that the entire community understands the need for supporting Buffalo's children outside regular school hours. The Buffalo Public School district has partnered successfully with the WNY Women's Fund and the Buffalo Museum of Science over the past two summers in providing this support, specifically in the encouragement of young women in the fields of math, science and technology. The work with the Out of School Time task force allows us to take the lessons learned, collaborate with like minded colleagues, and develop a standard for high quality after school options.
This work strengthens, not just the Buffalo schools, or the work of the Women's Fund, but the entire community."
Amber M. Dixon; Executive Director of Evaluation, Accountability, and Project Initiatives, Buffalo Public Schools |
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US Teen Birth Rate at All-Time Low, Economy Cited
By Mike Stobbe, AP Medical Writer
 The U.S. teen birth rate in 2009 fell to its lowest point in almost 70 years of record-keeping - a decline that stunned experts who believe it's partly due to the recession.
The birth rate for teenagers fell to 39 births per 1,000 girls, ages 15 through 19, according to a government report released Tuesday. It was a 6 percent decline from the previous year, and the lowest since health officials started tracking the rate in 1940.
Click here to read the rest of the article
Click here to read the CDC Report |
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 Join your friends, and join the WNY Women's Fund on Facebook. Keep track of events, postings, and up-to-the minute happenings.
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Please feel free to contact us to find out more about our programs.
WNY Women's Fund
742 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14209
(716) 887-2777
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