Access for All: Unifying Early Childhood Education to Prepare Children for Success
A
ccording to the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program, about forty percent of the commonwealth’s kindergarten students enter class without the basic skills they’ll need to succeed.
age five,” said Atif Qarni, Virginia Secretary of Education, on a recent visit to Roanoke. “That’s why a big state investment is needed with a focus on really ramping up early childhood programs.”
providers. At the center of Smart2Start is a coordinated system engineered to streamline recruitment, eligibility, and enrollment in early care and education programs.
Among low-income kindergarten students, half enter school unprepared.
To significantly improve the odds for children, United Way of Roanoke Valley, with Smart Beginnings of Greater Roanoke, is leading an innovative new pilot program benefitting families in the Roanoke Valley region through Virginia’s allocation of the federal Preschool Development Grant awarded in 2019.
“Parents can apply to both public and private programs at once. The family’s needs and preferences come first and foremost in working to find open spots,” said Vivien McMahan, Director of Early Learning Strategies at United Way of Roanoke Valley. “We’re not doing children any good if they’re remaining on waiting lists, so we want to get rid of those and put them in a provider slot as soon as possible.” Previously, parents trying to enroll a child in a preschool or early care program
By third grade, if a child is not reading at grade level, he or she is more likely to drop out of school without graduating. “The early years present the best opportunities for a child’s brain to develop the crucial connections they need to become healthy, successful adults. Eightyfive percent of brain development occurs by
54
Family • March 2020
Known as Smart2Start, it’s a single point of entry collaboration between area school systems, Head Start, and private
