Getting Preschoolers Ready to Learn
Did you know that the human brain develops more rapidly during the first three years than at any other time in life? That's when the foundation for a lifetime of learning is laid...or not.
Today, children are often expected to recognize letters and have basic counting skills when they enter kindergarten. Without access to quality early childhood programs, young children can fall behind before they even start school.
What we're doing: United Way helps to ensure that all children have access to quality early childhood education so they develop the skills they need to succeed. Your contribution to United Way Community Investment makes it happen.
Results: 95% of more than 1,000 children enrolled in United Way supported early childhood education programs learned skills they need to succeed in kindergarten. That’s an increase from more than 840 children (90% of those served) in 2008.
Providing High-Quality, Affordable Early Childhood Education
Anisa is a New Britain single mother of two small children. Last year her son, Jubei, became eligible for and enrolled in a school readiness program supported by contributions to United Way Community Investment. Anisa was very pleased by Jubei’s growth in preschool as a result of attending the program. The full-time schedule and the sliding fee scale made it possible for her to afford the program and led her to begin thinking about her own future and about supporting her family independently. Unfortunately her daughter, Elyra, was only a toddler, and Anisa couldn’t afford the cost of full-time tuition for toddler care. So the program staff worked with her to find a part-time slot for Elyra so that Anisa could begin looking for a job.
Anisa enrolled Elyra into the full-time school readiness program as soon as she was old enough. Anisa believes that the availability of quality early childhood education has not only helped her children but is also helping her. She now has a job and has returned to school, where she is working toward an associate’s degree in early childhood education. Anisa is grateful to the United Way supported child care program at YWCA of New Britain for helping to prepare her children for kindergarten, and she’s proud that she can now be the kind of role model for her children that she’s always wanted to be.
