Access for All: Unifying Early Childhood Education to Prepare Children for Success

According 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.

Among low-income kindergarten students, half enter school unprepared.

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

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.”

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.

Known as Smart2Start, it’s a single point of entry collaboration between area school systems, Head Start, and private providers. At the center of Smart2Start is a coordinated system engineered to streamline recruitment, eligibility, and enrollment in early care and education programs.

“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 had to fill out individual applications for each location. If the program reached maximum enrollment, they had to search for another option, with a new application.

Children and their families in our region deserve a better solution

“Not all families have the convenience of finding quality care that fits within their needs. It can be a difficult, expensive, and frustrating experience,” said Abby Hamilton, President and CEO of United Way of Roanoke Valley. “Smart2Start is our way of supporting the call to action from Governor Ralph Northam to give all children the best opportunities, including those who are most at risk.”

The program also levels the playing field for economically disadvantaged children by assisting parents as they navigate the process of applying for tuition assistance.

The Smart2Start application is supplemented by a list of more than one hundred fifty providers in Roanoke, Botetourt, Franklin, and Craig counties, as well as the cities of Roanoke and Salem.

Chris Chase is the Roanoke Regional Mixed Delivery Preschool Pilot Coordinator at United Way of Roanoke Valley. He talks daily to parents who express appreciationfor the one-stop-shop approach.

“I just talked to a mom who had several questions about the application and was also having computer problems at home and couldn’t fill it out online. We got the paper application to her, and she was so relieved that she was able to get all her questions answered and everything taken care of right on her lunch break,” said Chase. “She said it was a very different experience from what she went through with her two older children.”

The Smart2Start collaboration wasn’t designed with just the applicant in mind. Hamilton says it serves the region’s entire economy since more than two-thirds of parents are now in the workforce. It also helps early care providers, many of which are small businesses, to more effectively advertise their services and quickly fill open seats.

“Children and their families in our region deserve a better solution,” said Hamilton. “And their success has widespread impact. It influences economic, health, and social outcomes for our entire community.”

The Smart2Start application is now available for the 2021 school year. More information can be found at Smart2Start. org.