It's the early '90s. "Home Alone" is dominating the box office, every household has a Super Nintendo, and childcare costs are 295% lower than they are today.
During these years, Laura Greenholt, Vice President of Marketing at Shipley Energy, was enrolled at the Hanover YWCA Kindergarten Kare Program, where she enjoyed hanging out with her friends before and after school.
She had no idea the involvement that United Way of York County had in her childhood until coming across a newspaper article that her grandmother had saved, which revealed her care was made possible through United Way's partnership.
In 1990, United Way of York County was focused on allocating dollars to charitable organizations such as the Kindergarten Kare program. Today, we scholarship dollars directly to early childhood education (ECE) programs to support families on their journey towards finding affordable, quality early learning experiences for their children.
"Had my mom not been able to find childcare, she wouldn't have grown in her career," Laura said. "She was a huge role model in business for me. If I didn't have her as an inspiration, I doubt I would have gone down the same path."
Now, Laura is a working parent to two children who were in an ECE program, facing the same challenges that parents faced 35 years ago.
"If I didn't have childcare, I would have had to give up my career," she stated. "This became a real struggle for us post-COVID, and we were put on a waitlist. We tried a nanny during COVID-19 shutdowns because we simply had no other options."
With stable early childhood education for her children, Laura can focus on her career knowing that her kids are safe and taken care of.
"As an employer, I have team members who have trouble finding childcare," Laura shared. "It can throw off the whole rhythm of your business. It is challenging."
Now, she is paying forward what United Way gave to her all those years ago. She is involved in several donor network groups, participates in Shipley Energy's workplace campaign, and sits on the Marketing and Communications Committee.
"I didn't realize all those years ago that United Way was impacting future generations, and now I'm involved in the same way," she said. "I see my children's friends who have single heads of households, mothers. They are hustling, working 2 or 3 jobs, trying to juggle everything that comes with being a parent. They just need a little extra help."