Education is the foundation for a good life. We focus on three stages that are key to a successful education.
A quality early education that leads to school readiness
Research proves children who enter kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to graduate and become productive adults. While 85% of the core structure of the brain develops in the first three years of life, only 5% of public investments in children occur during these early years with more than 30% of all kindergarteners entering school already behind.
United Way of Miami-Dade and the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education are committed to changing that statistic. Last year, 3,500 preschoolers received high-quality early care and education through United Way-funded programs.
The Center for Excellence in Early Education, which opened in 2007, is an innovative learning, teaching and training initiative dedicated to elevating the quality of early care and education in Miami-Dade County and beyond. To achieve that goal, the Center utilizes a number of strategies including educating early care professionals, demonstrating best practices, advocating for change and partnering with likeminded organizations on the local, national and international level. Working with local community partners such as The Children’s Trust, the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation, the Early Learning Coalition, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Miami-Dade County, the Center has already trained more than 10,000 parents, teachers, child care providers and administrators on the best practices in early care and education.
As a member of the Bounce Learning Network, a partnership between the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and the Ounce of Prevention Fund, and as one of seven Educare sites in the country dedicated to exceptionally high standards for early learning, United Way continues to work at the national level to demonstrate quality early care and education, while creating an agenda around enhancing policies related to young children.
Turning community leaders and policymakers into champions for quality education is a top priority for United Way. As part of our continuing advocacy efforts, United Way brought a group of women to Washington, D.C. and Tallahassee to urge legislators to support policies that promote quality early learning. As a result, T.E.A.C.H., the only state-funded early education teacher development program, remained fully funded for 2008-2009.
Our work is capturing the attention of national leaders. Dr. David Perkins, Harvard professor and director of Project Zero, selected the Center to pilot Visible Thinking, his innovative approach to learning in the early years. The Fundación Cisneros is also partnering with the Center to bring its international flagship art education program, Piensa en Arte, to the early years, and the University of Miami Frost School of Music selected the Center as an implementation site and training hub for its literacy-based music curriculum, U-Move. The Center has attracted individuals from around the world, ranging from delegates from South Carolina to South Korea, who have come to learn more about our work and carry with them the best practices modeled at the Center.
Academic achievement in the classroom
Every day, an estimated 2,500 students across the nation drop out of school. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, in poor health, living in poverty and on public assistance. Additionally, Florida’s SAT scores are among the lowest in the nation making entrance into college substantially more difficult.
United Way is working to reverse that trend by investing in programs that provide support services for students, preparing them for standardized tests such as the FCAT, SAT, PSAT, and helping improve their math, science and literacy skills. Through these programs, over 13,000 elementary, middle and high school students were equipped with the tools they needed to improve their academic skills. In one program focused on literacy, 85% of students improved their reading skills and in another centered on FCAT, 95% improved their scores, while 65% in the low percentile moved up a level in math.
Productive and engaged youth
When youth engage in positive activities, they are more likely to avoid gangs, become self-sufficient, develop employment skills and finish school. Studies show that many youth get into trouble between the hours of 3 – 7 pm, when one in four teens remain unsupervised.
United Way funds programs that have, in the last year, provided 37,000 boys and girls with afterschool activities, mentoring, and social and life skills workshops. Through these opportunities, these young adults have been encouraged to stay away from risky behavior by participating in extracurricular activities, remaining in school and improving their grades.
