Helping Every Child Get An Equal Start At School

What is the problem?

1 in 5 children live in poverty.
For the past 60 years, 70% of low-income children enter school 18 to 24 months behind.
Most do not catch up. Eric Hunushek, Educational Economist, Stanford University, states, ” “The average performance of the lowest income students in the United States lags about three to four years behind … an achievement gap that has remained constant for more than four decades.”
Poor academic performances lead to lower lifetime earnings and poorer health

Why work on learning before school?

Kindergarten readiness is the #1 indicator of academic success.
Young children’s brains are primed for learning with memory, language,reasoning and communication skills peaking between ages 2 to 5
Investing in early learning is less expensive than waiting until school to catch and is more effective

Why work with parents?

Evidence show that the parent-child relationship and the home environment are the most influential factors in shaping a child’s development
This initial involvement carries over to involvement with their child’s school journey
Parent involvement leads to improved academic outcomes
Parents spend more time with their child, especially for children under the age of 6

How does our program work?

Learning Home Volunteers works with low-income families with children ages 2 thru 5. We work with parents as they discover learning in the home to prepare their children to enter school. Through your generous donations, we are able to offer our program free to participants.

Empower

We work with families, empowering their children’s first and longest teachers: their parents.

We share with the parents the true value of play-based learning. During parent training, we show the impact learning through joyful play.

We share our expertise in early childhood education: meet the child where they are and follow their lead.

Equip

Assortment of learning materials and school supplies

We provide a teaching kit for the parents which contains basic materials they will need as they work with their child.

Mother and small daughter at kitchen table working with unifix cubes

The Learning Boxes enrich learning by providing hands-on materials for the child to use in learning through play.

We provide a core set of books and a book a week to introduce the child to joy of reading.

Learning Boxes

Each Learning Box is loosely based on a theme. For example, this Learning Box was based on the Knuffle Bunny book series written and illustrated by Mo Willems. All boxes contain 9 -12 different learning activities and are brought to the child’s home every three week. We also provide ideas for using the learning materials with the child and information about the learning taking place for the parents in videos. Below are some of the materials included in the Knuffle Bunny Learning Box.

Collage of children's learning activities

Connect

Our families are connected to the organization and other enrolled families through an app. The app allows both staff and families to post. They can post in their language of choice. All information is then translated automatically to the language preferred by the reader. The app has created a community for our families and allows us to learn from them, for them to learn from each other, and us to share ideas with them.

Screenshot of a post on a social media app

All materials are explained through videos in both English and Spanish via the app.

Adult reading a children's book to an audience

Multiple video book readings are provided per session.

Mother reading a board book to her small daughter in her lap

Participants in the program share the learning taking place in their home via the app.

And it Works!

For the past 3 years, we have evaluated our graduates using a play-based assessment and the work that the parents have done with their child in their home shows. All were kindergarten ready. Although there is no national or state standard, many schools in our county uses the Bridgance Assessment. Here are some of the skills they look for:

Their first and last name and age

Primary and Secondary Colors

Ability to draw shapes

Build a tower of 10 blocks

Body parts

Identifies upper & lowercase letters

Sort objects by color, size, shape

Print numbers

Verbal fluency and articulation

Simple arithmetic

To this list we add additional measures including the ability to recognize written words, their problem solving and planning abilities, and social emotional skills.

These results are for all participants that completed the program and have not moved from the area.

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