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Our School Readiness initiative has achieved great success already at the state level, where the budget for state-funded pre-K programs has tripled since our work began in 2006. The Community Foundation supported the creation of Alabama School Readiness Alliance, which continues to advocate for the importance of voluntary, high quality pre-K sites in Alabama.
At the local level, we are working with the Alabama Partnership for Children and many other organizations to create a Blueprint for School Readiness for Jefferson County. Committees made up of local leaders assessed the data and resources already available, with input from service providers, caregivers, funders and families.
Our review of the data in the "Community Counts" indicators report shows that preparation for success in school is a root cause of many issues.
Experts agree that children will not enter school ready to learn unless families, schools and communities provide a variety of environments and experiences that support their physical, social, emotional, language, literacy and cognitive development.
And statewide polling by ASRA showed that voters in favor of these opportunities for all children.
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In 2006-07, the Community Foundation supported the work of determining community resources and needs, identifying priorities, and refining the Blueprint to reflect the opportunities for a community-wide initiative. This report reflects the first year's work of the group, which is committed to a multi-year analysis of indicators to measure progress toward better outcomes for young children. |
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