United Way of Pioneer Valley to Host CLC Leaders Lounge Celebrating Summer Step Up
SPRINGFIELD — United Way of Pioneer Valley (UWPV) will host a Community Leadership Connect (CLC) Leaders Lounge on Wednesday, July 9 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. to celebrate the Summer Step Up (SSUP) initiative and connect critical community resources. The event will be held at UWPV’s offices in the TD Bank building, 1441 Main St., Springfield. Click here to register.
The Summer Step Up grant expands access to summer learning in early education across the region. Funded through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and administered by United Way of Massachusetts Bay, the grant is supported locally by United Way of Pioneer Valley, which provides oversight and resource coordination for participating agencies. In Springfield, grantees include Square One and the Springfield Boys & Girls Club; in Holyoke, grantees include Valley Opportunity Council and Holyoke Public Schools. Together, these local agencies are receiving $300,000 to broaden summer learning opportunities for area children.
This summer’s funding will support approximately 158 youth in six weeks of summer programming throughout July and August, with transportation provided so that more families can take part, and will fund 541 hours of professional development for early education staff.
Created in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the grant helps families with young children access expanded summer education as their children prepare to enter school age and transition into the coming school year. The programming’s earlier success in preparing youth for school led to its continuation and expansion, allowing more children and families to benefit each year. The funding supports increased professional development for early education staff, transportation assistance, and enrollment of children whose families do not have a childcare voucher.
As part of UWPV’s CLC Leaders Lounge series, the July 9 coffee hour will bring grantees together with the local resources they have identified as most critical to the families they serve. These include United Way Pioneer Valley’s own direct services — its Basic Needs and Financial Wellness programs — alongside regional partners the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and 413Cares, a local online resource directory. Each week, UWPV’s Basic Needs programs serve between 400 and 600 households, and its Thrive Financial Wellness program supports roughly 500 individuals each year. UWPV is a member agency of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and an outreach partner for 413Cares.
The CLC Leaders Lounge is an ongoing offering of United Way Pioneer Valley that convenes local leaders to solve problems collaboratively and support leadership development across Western Mass. This session is designed both to highlight summer early education programming through Summer Step Up and to help partners connect programs and resources more effectively for the families who depend on them. Grantees, those involved in the resources being highlighted, and anyone interested in — or who has something to add to — the conversation on supporting families through early education, both in and outside of school, are welcome to attend.