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

The research is convincingly clear. Children who enter kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to graduate and become productive adults. But more than 30% of all kindergartners enter school already behind.

The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education is committed to changing that statistic by elevating the quality of early childhood education in Miami-Dade and throughout the nation. Since our opening in January 2007, more than 7,000 parents, teachers, child care providers and administrators have been trained on the best practices in early education. Experts from around the country have come to the Center to share their knowledge and expertise.  122 young children, ages six-weeks to five years, are receiving a sensory-rich early education based on the leading curriculums. We’ve partnered with Miami-Dade’s major educational institutions – the public school system and our colleges and universities – to bring innovative programming and research to the Center.

In partnership with The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation, the McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership and Miami Dade College, the Center created an Early Childhood Administrator’s program to enhance the management skills and leadership capacity of early childhood program administrators. In its first year, 75 directors participated in the program, earning college credits while working towards an advanced director’s credential.

Raising awareness among business leaders and policymakers and turning them into champions for quality education is another top priority. We took a group of women to Washington DC and later to Tallahassee to urge legislators to support policies that promote early learning. In particular, we advocated for the continued support of the T.E.A.C.H. program, the only state-funded early education teacher development program, and the Florida legislature maintained full funding for the program for 2008-2009.   

Our work has captured the attention of national leaders. The Buffett Early Childhood Fund has accepted the Center into its Bounce Learning Network, a group of like-minded early childhood centers committed to the highest levels of quality. Dr. David Perkins, Harvard professor and director of Project Zero, selected the Center to pilot his visible thinking theory in the early years, an approach to learning that helps children communicate their thought process through pictures.

Academic achievement in the classroom

More than 40% of today’s students won’t graduate from high school. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, in poor health, living in poverty, on public assistance, and single parents with children who, in turn, drop out of high school.

A United Way-funded program is working with elementary, middle and high school students to help reverse that trend. Through this afterschool tutoring program, students participate in one-on-one tutoring, small study groups, attend leadership development workshops where they learn positive study habits, have access to the latest academic software, all in an effort to improve their math skills and self-esteem and prepare them for the FCAT exams.  94% of the students improved their scores an average of 34%.

United Way continues to speak out in support of a strong public school system. Together with our community partners and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, we traveled to Tallahassee to meet with legislators about adequate funding for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Productive and engaged youth

Employment opportunities are proven to keep youth engaged in constructive, positive behavior. Youth who have employment skills and opportunities are more likely to finish school, avoid gangs and become self-sufficient. At the same time, young adults with low education and skill levels are more likely to live in poverty and receive government assistance.

United Way funds a program that targets students at risk of not graduating, gives them exposure to workplace environments, and matches them with mentors to help them stay in school and make a successful transition to the workforce. Students learn about possible career paths and become familiar with career planning, job-training activities, and advanced degrees. The mentor addresses various aspects of professional life, from basic skills such as appropriate attire, positive interaction with customers, and the importance of promptness and consistent attendance, to more advanced concepts such as marketing and sales techniques.