Through our 80x3: Resilient from the Start initiative, we are working to expand trauma-informed care so our littlest learners have the tools to overcome adverse childhood experiences.
Learn More →We lead the Career Academies initiative to ensure our education and workforce systems effectively prepare students for the transitions from learning to high-wage, high-demand careers.
Learn More →Each year, Action Day brings community volunteers together to pack backpacks full of essential school supplies for children in the Greater Twin Cities . Help ensure K-12 students start school with the right tools to learn.
Support Action Day →Every year at the Minnesota Capitol, we gather local children, parents and guardians, early childhood educators and other advocates to ask legislators to prioritize Minnesota’s youngest citizens.
Learn More →Nutritious food, stable housing and healthy minds are essential for students to be successful. We connect parents and educators to resources via 211 that help children and families thrive by meeting their basic needs and finding learning opportunities. We also respond to mental health crisis via the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — where one in 10 callers is younger than 15.
Through multiyear partnerships, we provide financial and technical support to early-childhood care centers, education partners and youth-serving organizations that offer holistic support aligned with children’s developmental and cultural needs. Our support helps organizations build capacity.
Each year one in 10 local K-12 students returns to school without the supplies they need to succeed. Action Day is a community-wide volunteer initiative that brings together nonprofit partners, businesses, volunteers and donors to help provide backpacks full of essential school supplies, so all Twin Cities students have an equal opportunity to thrive in school.
Childhood experiences in the first three years of life significantly impact a child’s long-term wellbeing. Our 80X3 innovation initiative brings together families, caregivers, educators and policymakers to expand trauma-sensitive care to ensure resilient and healthy futures for all children in the Twin Cities and beyond.
Through our Career Academies initiative we partner with school districts, employers, higher education institutions and youth organizations to establish new career pathways programs for young people — helping connect Minnesota youth to high-wage, in-demand career opportunities.
In support of educational success for all Minnesotans, we advocate at the state, local and national level for policy shifts and investments that increase access to affordable, trauma-sensitive, culturally responsive child care and early-childhood education and ensure young people have the tools to graduate high school and are prepared to enter the workforce.
Transparency is of the utmost importance to us at Greater Twin Cities United Way. We’re always here to answer any questions you may have about our organization or the work we do.
Below are responses to some of the inquiries we get most often about our education programs.
Through our Career Academies innovation initiative, Greater Twin Cities United Way partners with school districts and post-secondary educational institutions throughout Minnesota to establish new career pathways for students. Find out more about our school partnerships here.
We also partner with school districts in the Greater Twin Cities to distribute backpacks full of school supplies to K-12 students as part of our Action Day initiative. You can see the full list of our Action Day partners here under the Community Partners tab.
Greater Twin Cities United Way serves local students by collaborating with and investing in non-profits on the frontlines of community-led change through our multi-year grantmaking program, innovation initiatives and community engagement opportunities. We support community partners doing the most impactful work to provide direct, holistic support to students, families and educators. We also connect parents and youth to child care and educational opportunities via our 211 resource helpline.
You can call 211 or visit 211unitedway.org to learn more about education and career and future readiness programs in the Greater Twin Cities. Available 24/7, 211 operators provide confidential information and referrals to statewide resources, including child care, early childhood education, after school programs and other educational opportunities.
Action Day backpacks are distributed to K-12 students by 130+ nonprofit partners and school districts throughout the Twin Cities. You can see the full list of our partners here under the Community Partners tab.
Action Day is Greater Twin Cities United Way’s annual community-wide volunteer initiative to provide local students with essential school supplies that are fundamental to their success in the classroom. Volunteers pack backpacks filled with markers, scissors, pencils and so much more so students in elementary, middle and high school go back to school with everything they need to participate in class every day. Join us in-person during the annual event in August or volunteer at home year-round.
