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REGION MAKES PROGRESS TOWARD ENSURING CHILDREN ENTER SCHOOL PREPARED
United Way has been working to ensure children have an optimal start in life for over 10 years
CINCINNATI (3/10/14) – For more than 10 years, United Way Success By 6® has been working to dramatically
increase the number of students who show up to school prepared, and so far, the region is making progress in
the pursuit to ensure at least 85 percent of children are prepared for kindergarten.
In United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s 10-county region, over 50 percent of children are starting kindergarten
with skills that make them more likely to succeed, both academically and in life. 57.2 percent were assessed as
ready in Cincinnati Public Schools. Preliminary results in Brown and Clermont counties indicate 81.6 percent of
children entered kindergarten ready in the fall 2013. 53 percent in Northern Kentucky started the school year
ready to learn.
“We know what the national and local data says about the importance of high-quality learning environments
and developmentally appropriate experiences for young children. Early childhood education can not only vastly
improve a child’s academic achievement leading to higher graduation rates, over the long term, research
indicates these children are more likely to have higher salaries, which contribute to our economic growth,” says
United Way Success By 6® executive director Stephanie Byrd.
To reach 85 percent, over 870 students in Cincinnati Public Schools and over 2,300 in Northern Kentucky need
to be prepared. An estimated 500 more children would need to be prepared in Clermont and Brown counties
combined.
Why is there a continued push to ensure children are ready for kindergarten? Results from kindergarten
readiness assessments in Ohio and Kentucky show quality preschool and early childhood experience matters.
United Way is building on existing, evidence-based strategies, testing new and promising practices, focusing
on strategies that can grow, and using data to make decisions and continuous improvement. Local and
national evidence of the positive impact of preschool on school readiness and third grade reading has led to
the local effort to create the Cincinnati Preschool Promise.
“The research is clear in showing that preschool makes a difference in getting children ready for kindergarten.
These data have been consistent in the last seven years in showing that preschool has contributed to higher
early reading and language development skills for our youngest students,” Byrd says. ”The challenge is to
sustain the modest gains we've made, while rapidly scaling up what works to achieve large-scale impact. Over
the last five years we’ve seen an 86 percent increase in the number of quality-rated programs in the region and
while quality has increased, access to these programs has declined.”
What does it mean for a child to be ready for kindergarten?
“It more than naming colors, reciting the alphabet and identifying shapes. It’s about gauging social and
emotional skills, does he get along with other kids and share; motor skills, can she hold a pencil and draw a
circle; and self-sufficiency skills, can he listen and follow instructions,” Byrd says. “Beyond what parents can
do, we have to ensure public policy is in place to support this effort, social systems are equipped to give
mothers and their babies an optimal start, investments are being made in educational infrastructure, programs
and educators, and families have access to health care to ensure mental, physical and dental health.”
Success By 6® has a data system project underway that will define the current state of the region and what 85
percent of children prepared looks like; determine what needs to be measured; identify the partners who can
help the community achieve the goal; and align this effort with existing systems.
”Kindergarten readiness is the most important aspect of the education continuum and is one of the strongest
predictors of school success. We need to make sure there continues to be enough resources to help these
children succeed in kindergarten and establish a good educational foundation before they join the workforce,"
Byrd says.
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