Education (Ready to Learn, Ready to Earn)
Education is one of United Way of Central Indiana’s top priorities. Our work is focused on achieving two goals:
- Helping kids be ready to learn when they start kindergarten
- Helping students perform at grade level in reading and math by 6th grade
Why is United Way focused on education?
- 1 in 3 children are born economically disadvantaged, with limited access
to quality early learning
- Many kids don’t start kindergarten the first day, leading to lost time and
disruptions in class
- Kids who fall behind their grade level in reading and math are at higher
risk of dropping out
- Only two-thirds of area 9th-graders will graduate in 4 years, and just 50%
of IPS 9th-graders will
- Changing the dropout rate can change our entire community and, as a
result, reduce future human service needs
We’re seeing encouraging results for our efforts thus far. We’ve provided more than 500,000 high-quality books to children under age 6, many of whom live in economically challenged neighborhoods – assessments indicate they’re coming to school better prepared to learn. Through a public awareness campaign and outreach to parents in neighborhoods with significant need, we raised the percentage of kindergarteners attending the first day of school from 64% in 2008 to 93% in 2010.
And thanks to enhanced math instruction in another group of schools, 6th-graders showed tremendous improvement in the state math assessment, with one school more than doubling its pass rate in that grade. Much of our work is focused on two Indianapolis neighborhoods with significant needs: Martindale-Brightwood and the Near Eastside.
We call this education priority Ready to Learn, Ready to Earn. Learn more here.
Other programs that strengthen the community
United Way of Central Indiana has community-focused tools, initiatives and programs ranging from community assessment, to youth leadership, to nonprofit board training and nonprofit management. These resources allow us to assess and improve conditions, and enhance community involvement throughout the region.
- Community Assessment – United Way of Central Indiana regularly assesses health and human service needs, and our community's capacity to meet those needs.
- Connected By 25 – Helps ensure that that foster care youth are educated, housed, financially stable, employed and connected to a support system by age 25. *As of January 2013, Connected By 25 is a United Way agency partner.
- Leadership United – Through workshops, board internships, and professional and social networking, United Way trains future leaders to serve on nonprofit boards and provide leadership in the community. We can also design special programs for employee groups.
- Nonprofit Training Center – Nonprofit managers, boards and staff (including your employees) are offered courses in a variety of subjects including fundraising, marketing, project management, supervision, budgeting, use of technology, volunteer management and more.
- SAVI Database (Social Assets and Vulnerabilities Indicators) – A dynamic community information system that maps, compares and stores data, from more than 40 sources, about Central Indiana communities. To learn more, please contact Demetrius Glover at demetrius.glover@uwci.org or 317.921.1294.
- Youth as Resources – Promotes youth volunteerism. Youth groups can receive funds for community service projects that are designed and run by youth in United Way of Central Indiana’s six counties. Each county has a volunteer board made up of youth and adults who make distribution decisions.
- Youth Leadership Initiative – Expands opportunities for young people to participate as community planners and decision makers within youth-serving and other nonprofit organizations.
- United Christmas Service – Helps those most in need during the holiday season by providing financial assistance to qualified families.
- Winter Assistance Fund – Helps those who are not eligible for government energy assistance programs, but who are still unable to pay their heating bills during the winter months.
- The Volunteer Center – The essential resource for local volunteer opportunities.
|
Quick links
Other programs
|
