United Way 101: Education

Education is one of the building blocks of a good quality of life, but millions of children in this country start school lacking the necessary reading and language skills to succeed. Those that start behind, stay behind, increasing their risks of dropping out of school before earning a diploma. What does that meant to the rest of us? More than $312 billion in lost wages, taxes, and productivity over their lifetimes, according to communitiesinschools.org.

At United Way of Central Florida, we want to make sure that the children in our community start school ready to succeed by funding programs that show measurable results in education and literacy. While many of our programs work with students who are already struggling in school, either through after-school tutoring or mentoring, we are also targeting children before they start school. Study after study has shown that children's brains grow exponentially before the age of six. Additionally, children who enter school with the skills needed to succeed are more likely to graduate from high school and become productive workers. Investments in education during this period create a larger return on investment as the child ages. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a high school dropout can expect to earn full $10,386 less, on average, than someone with a high school diploma, and only 1/3 of the average salary of a college graduate. By intervening in a child's education at an early age, we can have a measurable, life changing affect on that child's future.

To do this, we bring together the people and organizations with the passion, expertise, and resources needed to get things done. The first step, in 2006, was to create an Education Steering Committee. Comprised of local experts in education and community leaders with a strong interest in education, the Steering Committee determined the target issues, outcomes, and indicators that all UWCF education programs would be evaluated on. There are two target issues: improve school readiness, and academic achievement.

When we improve school readiness, the intended result is that children enter school ready to learn and read. Our goal is for 75 % of all children who meet participation requirements in the Let's Grow Early Literacy Initiative will enter kindergarten with the vocabulary skills needed to learn and to read. The success of this initiative is measured by standardized tests approved by the Education Steering Committee. Funded programs are evaluated on their ability to show improvements in the children who receive their services as compared to children who do not.

The focus on academic achievement will ensure that elementary students are prepared to succeed in later grades. For students who meet participation requirements, our program goals are two-fold: students will score 10% higher on standardized tests in math and/or reading; or students will show an improvement in math and/or reading scores, will show an improvement in math and/or reading grades, and/or will attend school more frequently. Again, funded programs are compared against a control group of students who are not participating in the program.

By improving a child's test scores, grades, and/or school attendance, we are increasing that child's chances of growing into a successful, self-sustaining, productive part of our community.

There are three ways you can help:

• You can give. -- Because we partner with programs that show measurable improvements in a child's academic life, you can rest assured that your donation to the United Way of Central Florida is being put to good use. And money that is raised here, stays here, giving you reassurance that your contribution will directly help children in Polk, Hardee, and Highlands counties. Donate now!
• You can advocate. -- Talk about United Way and the good that we do for the children in our community. Share our success stories with your friends and encourage them to become a part of our efforts. Write or call our government leaders to share your passion for education and concern for our children.
• You can volunteer. -- Become a ReadingPal to help kindergarten students increase their vocabulary skills. Become a mentor or tutor at one of our partner programs. Get involved in helping the children of our community, either individually or in a group setting, because when we work together, we can do more than any individual can do on his or her own.

We invite you to be part improving the education levels of our community. Join with us and Live United!