Education

Early Learning

Young children, from birth to age five, have the right to be ready to succeed when they enter kindergarten; but, in nearly half the classrooms (46 percent) across the nation, at least one out of five kids was inadequately prepared for kindergarten when they started school last year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Challenges

Of 50 children who are having trouble learning to read in kindergarten, 44 will have trouble in third grade and children without reading skills by third grade are unlikely to graduate from high school.
The current cost for quality child care per child in Georgia, depending upon age, is $8,000-$12,000 per year. Therefore, many parents can’t afford to pay for quality child care and have to choose either lower quality care or no child care at all, which puts many children in dangerous situations.
Of all the children that qualify for a Department of Human Resources subsidy, the State of Georgia can only assist 12 percent. These subsidies have been historically inadequate and in the current state budget cuts it is likely to become even worse.
There are more than 5,000 licensed/registered child care providers in metro Atlanta; of them, only four percent of the centers and less than one percent of family child care providers are nationally accredited.

United Way priorities

Ensuring more opportunities for at-risk children to have access to high-quality early learning environments.
Enhancing the early literacy and pre-reading development of young children.
Identifying and promoting best practices through training and technical assistance for child care providers.
Supporting parents as a child’s first and most important teachers so parents have increased knowledge and skills, as well as information and resources, needed to make the best early learning choices for their families.

Results so far

We provided training and technical assistance to child care providers (formal and informal child care), comprehensive in-home support for the most vulnerable families, and Kindergarten transition programs that help bridge the gap between child care and school.
More than 8,600 children are on track to enter school ready to learn.

What we’re doing next

Working to create stronger partnerships between child care providers and elementary schools so that children have a comfortable and happy experience starting kindergarten.
Training and supporting caregivers as they nurture and care for young children in high-quality early learning environments.
Increasing community awareness around the importance of early literacy skills in young children, using tools such as “Get Ready to Read!”

Youth

We believe all children should have a quality education and graduate from high school prepared for college and the workforce.

Challenges

18 percent of metro Atlanta’s eighth-grade students are not passing eighth-grade math (10,360 students).
Only 28 percent of Georgia’s fourth-grade students scored at the proficient or advanced level in reading in 2007.
Just 16 percent of children in Georgia’s working families are in after-school programs.
The gap between a parent and a young person’s schedule can amount to 20-25 hours a week of unsupervised time.

United Way priorities

Ensure youth, particularly middle school students, participate in high-quality activities during non-school hours.
Provide academic support so all students advance to the next grade level.
Improve conditions for parents to be more actively involved in their child’s education.

Results so far

We provided training and technical assistance to after-school/out-of-school providers and participate in developing state-wide quality standards for how children spend the 80 percent of their time that is not in school.
Last year, United Way helped more than 17,000 students increase academic skills and their interest in the future.

What we’re doing next

Starting at the middle school level, United Way will partner with individuals and organizations to ensure all school-age children have the opportunity to attend high-quality after-school programs in their school or community.
We will partner with others to expand training opportunities for youth service providers, to ensure that more youth are developing the skills they need to be fully prepared to enter college, work and successful adulthood.
United Way will promote more opportunities for parents to become more engaged in their child’s learning and development.