Education

Education

OUR CHALLENGE: There is a crisis in public education.

The startling FACTS:

• 46% of kids start school without the skills they need to learn—the larger the gap at school entry the harder it is to close.
• In Chicago nearly half of all teens do not graduate—successful completion of 9th grade is the make or break year for completing high school.

Our VISION is 9,000 more children prepared for kindergarten and 45,000 more teens completing 9th grade on track to graduate. We aim to better prepare and support 50,000 at-risk kids. If we succeed, we have the potential to cut the high school drop out rate in half.

OUR APPROACH: United Way is laser-focused on proven strategies that have the biggest impact and are needed most in our community: 1) ensuring children enter school ready to learn; and 2) preparing middle schoolers to enter high school ready to succeed. We have developed these strategies based on the evidence in collaboration with local community experts and stakeholders. We are rigorously measuring our progress and our success. With adequate funding, we plan to implement these strategies in low-income neighborhoods, creating school-ready communities where children receive the tools and support they need to succeed in school and graduate from high school on time.

OUR STRATEGY:

Ensuring Children Enter School Ready to Learn

• Expand access/participation in high-quality early childhood intervention programs including high quality pre-school and home visitation
  • Focus resources on programs that link to home visitation and pre-school within the same center or community
  • Ensure parental involvement through programs with outreach and education
• Advocate for funding to foster effective early childhood interventions
• Engage volunteers in mentoring and reading to pre-schoolers

Preparing Middle School Kids to Enter High School Ready to Succeed

• Increase resources for existing community schools in low income communities
• Develop new community schools. These United Way Family Learning Centers will make schools a community hub where children and parents of all ages can be creatively engaged in educational, financial stability, and health and wellness activities
  • Bring community leadership and planning into the school through local advisory boards
• Advocate for funding to sustain effective community schools
• Engage volunteers in tutoring, mentoring, safe-passage, college prep and career training

WE INVITE YOU TO BE PART OF THE CHANGE AND THE SOLUTION:

• LEARN about what United Way is doing to help change the statistics and help kids succeed.
• Get involved. VOLUNTEER your time to a classroom or afterschool program, mentor/read with a child find a volunteer opportunity.
• ADVOCATE for policies that facilitate change and support good teachers.
• GIVE:
  • Individuals:
    Donate to United Way’s Education Initiative. Make a contribution to our Education Initiative and help us expand access to early childhood intervention programs and support and improve community schools where they are needed most. Text EDUCATE 10 to 27138 to make a $10 donation.
  • Corporations, Foundations, Major Gifts:
    Adopt a United Way Community School. In 5 communities, United Way will establish, new “best in class” community schools turn schools into holistic Family Learning Centers making schools a community hub where children and parents of all ages can be creatively engaged in educational, financial stability, and health and wellness activities. To learn more about Family Learning Centers call 312.906.2393.