Community-based Agenda

Education

Helping Children Enter School Ready to Learn

United Way’s Education Council is working to make significant improvements to current community conditions. The goal is bold, meaningful and measurable: 12,000 children in southern Nevada, ages three to five, will have increased access to high-quality, curriculum-based preschool experiences.

A quality prekindergarten education has been proven to increase the financial sustainability of individuals and their families. It is also proven to have a direct impact on the costs to our community, through a decrease in the need for social services, remedial education and crisis interventions.

A forty-year study that followed children through adulthood found that the return on investment was 17:1 for those who received a quality early childhood education. The positive community impact was $12 dollars reduced in public expenditures of welfare payments, incarceration and remedial education and $5 dollars increased in paid taxes due to higher earnings. The need for a quality education not only has an economic impact but, also a cognitive one. As evidenced by a large body of research that states 80 percent of a child’s brain is developed by age four.

Only 45 percent of all students in Nevada graduate and receive a high school diploma in four years. Dropouts from the class of 2008 will cost Nevada nearly $5.1 billion in lost wages over their lifetimes.

In 2008, United Way formed a long-term relationship with 18 early child development centers, in order to enhance the quality of their pre-kindergarten programs. This was accomplished through teacher training and professional development, mentoring, curriculum training and parental involvement. An online assessment tool captures the child’s learning skills as recorded by their teachers and parents. As a team, families work with teachers and care providers to provide the best foundation for each child to reach their full potential by entering school ready to succeed.

“As a committed United Way volunteer, I advocate for curriculum-based Pre-K education,” said Bob Linden, volunteer chair, United Way Education Council and President and Owner, Shred-It Las Vegas. “It’s a sound investment for our community and for our children.”

The vision of United Way’s Education Council is to increase the percentage of children entering kindergarten at grade level or above, and the percentage of children proficient in third grade literacy and math standardized tests. Ultimately, the outcome will be the inevitable increase in on-time high school graduation rates in Nevada.

Because of You . . .

United Way is building partnerships and support systems to ensure barriers to on-time high school graduation are recognized early and eliminated immediately at the child, family and community level. As the students graduate, their added value as highly productive, intelligent, employed, and engaged community members will increase the overall quality of life for everyone. When our children are ready to learn, they are ready to succeed and ready for life.