Foundation investments address root cause barriers to child and family health through proactive, multi-sector systems change. We invest in:
Collective Impact facilitation of Every Child Thrives, a partnership of 50+ Dodge and Jefferson County agencies.
Community Capacity Building building our community’s collective capacity to impact outcomes for youth and families by supporting learning, research and development, quality improvement practices and collaborative grant writing.
Policy, Systems and Environmental Change working at the local and state level to foster policies and practices that support the ability for all children and families to thrive.
Grants financial and technical assistance resources in support of evidence-based and innovative practices that "move the needle" on priority child and family outcome measures.
Real change happens when a core group of community leaders come together using a collective approach to create a clear, common agenda with measurable results.
Every Child Thrives (ECT) is our collective impact effort, uniting community partners in Wisconsin's Dodge and Jefferson counties. It is centered on the shared purpose of ensuring all children thrive in health, learning and life.
Launched in 2017, ECT engages business, government, education, families and community partners who use data to drive decisions and align resources so all children have a strong start in life.
Every Child Thrives is led by a Transformation Council, whose role it is to drive our collective work. Its members include:
Rebecca Bell, Dodge County Health & Human Services Director
Kathi Cauley, Jefferson County Human Services Director
Peg Checki,Watertown Public Library Director
Elizabeth Chilsen, Jefferson County Public Health Program Manager
Tina Crave, Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation President & CEO
Suzanne Hoppe, Renewal Unlimited Executive Director
Jon Lange, Glacial Community YMCA Chief Executive Officer
Carol Quest, Watertown Department of Public Health Director
Cassandra Schug, Watertown Unified School District Superintendent
Annette Thompson, Dodgeland School District Administrator
Mary Ann Weiland, Jefferson County Head Start Director
Every Child Thrives is driven by team members from the following organizations:
Beaver Dam Community Library
Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Wisconsin
Calvary Baptist Christian School
Church Health Services
City of Watertown
Community Action Coalition for South Central WI
Community Care Preschool & Child Care
Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C)
Community Pediatrics
Dodge County Human Services & Health Department
Dodgeland School District
Fort HealthCare
Future All Star's Academy
Gingerbread Preschool and Child Care Center
Good Shepherd Lutheran School
Green Valley Enterprises, Inc. (Dodge County Birth to 3)
Hustisford Community Library
Hustisford School District
Jefferson County Circuit Court
Jefferson County Head Start
Jefferson County Health Department
Jefferson County Human Services Department
Jefferson County Literacy Council
Johnson Creek Public Library
Juneau Public Library
Kiddie Kampus
Lake Mills Area School District
Mary Linsmeier - Watertown
Playworks Active Recess
Reeseville Public Library
Renewal Unlimited, Inc (Dodge County Head Start)
Rock River Community Clinic
Safe Families for Children - Jefferson County
School District of Jefferson
Shared Mission Group
St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church & School
The Gathering Source
The Open Door Coffeehouse
Trinity St. Luke's Lutheran School
United Way of Dodge County
United Way of Jefferson & North Walworth Counties
UW-Madison Division of Extension Dodge County
UW-Whitewater
Watertown Area YMCA
Watertown Chamber of Commerce
Watertown Department of Public Health
Watertown Family Center
Watertown Family Practice
Watertown Police Department
Watertown Public Library
Watertown Regional Medical Center
Watertown Unified School District
Willows Christian Child Care Center
WI Alliance for Infant Mental Health
WI Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Board
WI Office of Children's Mental Health
WI Reading Corps
community capacity building
Creating a healthier tomorrow for children and families in Dodge and Jefferson counties relies on the collective capacity of our community. For that reason, GWCHF funds leadership development and technical assistance to help local organizations move their missions further.
Examples of capacity building activities we may support include:
Research and development activities like needs assessments, feasibility studies and strategic planning efforts
Quality improvement work to help organizations become more efficient and effective
Grant writing for multi-sector initiatives that support children and families
If your organization has a capacity building need, please contact GWCHF President & CEO Tina Crave to learn more about how we could support you.
policy, systems and environmental change
Policies and practices that support the ability for all children and families to thrive are critical to the health of our community. Alongside our partners, we work locally, regionally and statewide to foster policies and practices that advance our strategic priorities.
Current Policy Initiatives:
Participation in the Wisconsin Partnership - a collaborative effort of partnerships in Wisconsin working to create a state policy environment that enables us to move further faster toward our goal for improving access to high-quality early care and education for all children.
