About Focus On Our Future

Mission & History

The mission of Focus On Our Future, a United Way Success By 6™ program, is to “enhance the quality of early childhood education in York County and prepare children to succeed in school”.  The initiative started in 1994 as a partnership between the United Way of York County, York County Community Foundation, Penn State York University and Child Care Consultants, Inc.  Initially funded by grants from the Howard D. Heinz Endowments and Pew Charitable Trusts, Focus On Our Future has grown into a program supported by businesses, foundations, community leaders, individuals, educational institutions and state government.

By educating the community about the relationship between high quality early childhood education and children being ready for school, Focus On Our Future makes the case for investing in early childhood education. The initiative is making a difference in the quality of early childhood education programs in our community by supporting educational programs for early childhood education providers and providing technical assistance to providers seeking national accreditation. 

Over the past ten years, Focus On Our Future has increased the number of nationally accredited high quality early childhood education from three in 1997 to twenty-four in 2007. During this same time period, over 550 providers have enrolled in higher education programs and thousands have participated in workshops to improve their skills.

Communities, government officials and business leaders and educators around the country now recognize that the best way to ensure a promising future for children is to get them off to a good start.