United Way of Northern Arizona (UWNA) — Why High-Quality Preschool Matters

by Community Contributor • May 30, 2024 • Comments Off

Why High-Quality Preschool Matters

Access to high-quality preschools can be transformative – not only for the children who attend or their families, but also for our communities as a whole and the economy of our state.

For proof of this, look no further than the results of Elevate PreK, which is concluding its three-year pilot program and moving into a fourth year of providing free, high-quality preschool education to lower- and middle-income families in northern Arizona. The pilot program was supported by a consortium of partners, including United Way of Northern Arizona.

Elevate PreK, which currently operates classrooms in Page and at Evergreen Academy Preschool in Flagstaff, was created to help fill the gap in access to high-quality early childhood education.

Currently, 33% of children in Coconino County do not have a childcare seat available, and in Flagstaff, three are 2.5 children for every childcare seat. Of all the available child care seats, only 14% are considered high-quality.

Even when there is access to childcare, affordability is an issue. Families spend about 13% of their income on child care and that number soars to 27% for single-parent families making minimum wage.

The outcomes for children in the Elevate PreK program have been dramatic.

The program curriculum focuses on several aspects of a child’s learning and development. Students in the program showed sustained growth and improvement in higher-order cognitive skills like focus, attention, and inhibition, which are essential for other more complex learning, such as reading, writing, and mathematics.

Students also strengthened their social skills, letter/word identification, and vocabulary while in the program.

According to numerous studies, high-quality early education leads to increased school readiness and educational attainment; higher rates of high school graduation and the likelihood of pursuing a college degree; higher wages; and even better health. It also decreases the need for remedial services; high school suspensions; and unemployment/underemployment.

But the benefits extend beyond the individual child. Access to childcare programs like Elevate PreK means that parents or caregivers will miss less work, and that has a profound impact on our economy.

In fact, a ReadyNation report released at the end of last year found that the lack of adequate child care imposes substantial and long-lasting economic consequences in our state, with an annual economic cost of $4.7 billion in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.

In the coming year, Elevate PreK plans to track the students who have gone through the pilot program to measure its impact on their academic achievement as they go through elementary school. United Way of Northern Arizona is conducting a feasibility study, including possible funding models that would support universal PreK for our community.

UWNA looks forward to helping convene the community around how we can continue to expand access to high-quality PreK education, which will benefit all of us who live and work in northern Arizona.

It’s Not to Late to Sign Up for KinderCamp™!

There’s still time to sign up for KinderCamp™, the targeted intervention program provided free of charge to families with children entering kindergarten.

KinderCamp is a signature early education initiative coordinated by United Way of Northern Arizona with local school districts. It is held during the month of June and facilitates successful transition for students going into kindergarten who have minimal preschool experience.

If you are interested in learning more about KinderCamp in Flagstaff or registering, please click here. To learn more about the program in Williams, contact Deniz Chavez, and for information about the Pinetop-Lakeside program, contact Jordan Kloeckner.

Our ability to champion early childhood education programs like Elevate PreK, KinderCamp, and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library is fueled by your generosity. You can help ensure a brighter future for our youth in Coconino, Navajo and Apache counties with a donation to United Way of Northern Arizona. Thank you for your consideration and for Living United!

DONATE TODAY!