Education is essential to getting and keeping a job with a livable wage and health benefits, but too many teenagers in our community will not graduate on time and thus won’t develop the skills necessary for employment. Through our Helping Children Succeed Vision Council, United Way funds four collaborative projects that focus on getting kids ready for school, staying in school to graduate, and developing the necessary skills to gain employment.

TRIO (Teaming Resources for Innovative Opportunities) brings together a day care center with a neighborhood service center and a counseling agency to provide children and their families with “one-stop shopping” for their many needs.

Family Education Collaborative develops the literacy skills of both homeless children and their families by combining the resources of a day care center with an agency that houses homeless families.

Hardcore Kids serves at-risk teenagers who are sex offenders or substance abusers through a collaboration between a faith-based agency and a nationally recognized after school program.

Trenton Leadership & Mentoring Program provides at-risk freshmen with peer mentors and links both student groups with trained adult mentors by combining the resources of two Princeton agencies with a local college and Trenton High School.