Joseph’s Story

Meet Joseph Six‐year‐old Joseph can tell you about every planet in the solar system and every organ in the human body. He loves reading, he loves science, and he has the vocabulary of someone twice his age. Joseph began attending a United Way Bright Beginnings child care center when he was three years old. The supportive environment, one‐on‐one attention and focus on academic and social development had an immediate and lasting influence on him. In United Way Bright Beginnings, Joseph’s parents saw their once shy and apprehensive son blossom. “The teachers and support he got there made him more confident,” said Joseph’s mom. “It helped him develop so much.” One of the greatest differences his parents have noticed is that Joseph’s academic skills are far beyond those of other kids his age. “Joseph has excelled so much in math and science because of United Way Bright Beginnings, and he started reading really early,” said Joseph’s mom. “With Joseph having been in United Way Bright Beginnings, I think he is more than ready to start first grade.” The foundation Joseph built in United Way Bright Beginnings has definitely prepared him to start first grade—but it has also prepared him to be a lifelong learner. “My favorite thing to learn about is the digestive system,” Joseph says. But that’s not all. He quickly adds, “And all of the other things, like the oceans, the continents, the planets, the states, animals, insects, math, everything!”