Kindergarten Preparation
- Kinder Camp
- Custom Readiness Calendars
- Kindergarten, Here I Come
Community Development
- Born Learning Trails
- IGNITE (Inspiring Growth Now in Transformational Education)
Free Book Provider
- Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
- Freebie Reads
- Support Smiles
- Ready Readers
Fundraising Events
Helping to ensure the success of all students!
What is Student Success?
A student’s initiative to discover ways to ensure all children are prepared and ready to succeed as they grow from birth to age 18.
What happened to Success by 6?
This is our newly transformed group that was rebranded from Success By 6. It now contains the former program under its umbrella, which has allowed Student Success to be able to impact students of all ages without an age cap. This division is still running strong, and it seeks to ensure all children who enter first grade will be ready to learn and thrive.
How does Student Success actually help students?
Student Success is responsible a wide range of programs and initiatives throughout Etowah County that provide real and transformative help to sustain and foster development across all ages.
How is Student Success able to give out free books?
This is all funded mostly through the Girlfriend Gala, which is a night out to promote and celebrate children’s literacy.
What is the goal for Student Success?
Provide direct leadership and coordination for community collaboration which brings together leaders from business, education, labor, government, health and human service providers in order to effect positive change in the lives of children from birth to 12th grade. The goal of Student Success is to provide books for literacy through Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Freebie Reads, Ready Readers and identity barriers to reading of elementary students that are not meeting their benchmark or reading by 3rd grade. This program will work in tandem with other community initiatives to alleviate barriers in education for students. The primary goal is to ensure children are successful in school and in life. It implements projects that produce positive changes in the systems that impact school-aged children.
United Way Success By 6 — H.O.P.E. Parenting Class
Our H.O.P.E. (Helping Our Parents Excel) Parenting Class is part of United Way of Etowah County’s Success By 6 initiative, designed to strengthen families and prepare children for lifelong success.
Each week, parents and caregivers come together in a supportive environment to learn practical skills that promote healthy child development, positive discipline, and strong family relationships. Classes are free, interactive, and open to all families in Etowah County.
Dolly Parton Imagination Library
We are thankful for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library!
What Is This?
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides free books to pre-school age children in order to promote reading and help children learn.
What Do I Do?
If your child lives in Etowah County, register for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at United Way of Etowah County in Gadsden, Alabama.
Why Should I Register?
It sounds almost too simple to be true, but by reading regularly with your children during their pre-school years, you are giving them the biggest boost toward a successful education they will ever get. There are many reasons parents do not read to their child, but we can eliminate one of them. Every child will have books of their very own, and at no cost to you. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a free gift to our children! All you have to do is read to your children.
Is This Really Free?
Yes, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is completely free. All funds for this program are raised by the Student Success program at United Way of Etowah County. Typically, the majority of these funds come straight from the Girlfriend Gala event. Please click HERE for more information about the Girlfriend Gala.
Who Is Eligible?
Pre-school children (birth until their 5th birthday) of Etowah County.
What Are My Responsibilities?
- 1. Be a resident of Etowah County.
- 2. Submit an official registration form, completely filled out by parent or guardian (form must be approved and on file with United Way of Etowah County’s Student Success).
- 3. Notify United Way of Etowah County’s Student Success any time your address changes. Books are mailed to the address listed on the official registration form. If the child’s address changes, you must contact your friends here in order to continue receiving books.
- 4. Read with your child!
When Will I Receive Books?
Eight to ten weeks after your registration form has been received, books will begin arriving at your home and will continue as long as funds are available until your child turns five or you move out of Etowah County.
Facts About Reading and Young People
- 35% of children arrive at kindergarten unprepared to learn.
- Interaction with his/her environment is a key factor in determining the ease with which a child will learn to read.
- The more words a child hears the larger the child’s vocabulary
- A 1991 study showed that parents who were given books by their doctors were four times more likely to read and share them with their children.
- Reading to your baby encourages the child to associate reading with love and comfort.
- The more you talk and read to your baby the quicker the child will learn
- The report of the commission on reading states that “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children
- The key to proficiency in reading is to start early. Begin reading to your child the day he/she is born.
Questions?
Contact Student Success at 256-547-2581 or email to successby6@uwoec.org.
Sign up your child today!
Born Learning Trails
10 interactive signs that offer fun and active learning activities for young children and families.
The Born Learning Trails are an initiative of Student Success. Over the years, United Way of Etowah County and many partners and sponsors have created 4 local trails around Etowah County. These trails help to provide development by encouraging parents and their kids to learn, explore, and play together. This will help foster a healthy environment, as well as positioning these kids for positive outcomes over the course of the rest of their life. Please take notice of our Born Learning Trails the next time you are out in the community.
Partnership with Gadsden State Community College
United Way of Etowah County’s Success By 6 program proudly partners with Gadsden State Community College to provide meaningful internship experiences for college students each semester. Through this partnership, Gadsden State students gain hands-on experience in early childhood education, family engagement, and community outreach while supporting the mission of Success By 6 to ensure all children in Etowah County enter school ready to learn. Interns assist with program coordination, parent workshops, and literacy initiatives—building valuable skills that prepare them for future careers in education and human services.