Mayor Menino and United Way announce $1 million school readiness initiative

The City of Boston and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay last Thursday announced a $1 million citywide school readiness initiative aimed at preventing gaps in achievement before they surface among the next generation of children. This effort is backed by new scientific research on the impact of children's early years on school readiness, as well as longterm studies that show the investment return from improving early learning.

"This public-private partnership is crucial to making sure our children succeed in school and that their families are engaged from the start," Menino said. "We are already making significant investments in closing the existing achievement gap among school-aged students. This new initiative brings together parents, child care providers, pediatricians, educators and other experts to develop a comprehensive plan for early learning."

Social and economic predictors of the achievement gap are apparent among Boston's young children.

Of the 31,500 households in Boston with children ages 0-5, more than half of the parents (16,000) have no more than a high school diploma, and 7,500 have not even completed high school; 8,000 families are living at or below the poverty line; and 8,400 homes with children ages 0-5 are headed by parents with limited or no English proficiency.

The $1 million effort is funded by a grant from an anonymous donor of $633,000, which is matched by more than $360,000 in additional support and in-kind contributions from 12 partners. The grant, which will be managed jointly by the United Way and the Mayor's Office, will fund the launch of a 30-person Mayor's School Readiness Action Planning Team (APT) that will develop a five-year sustainable plan for preventing the achievement gap.

Funds will also be used to develop and pilot a new comprehensive Boston Public Schools Kindergarten Assessment to determine what percentage of children in Boston are ready to enter school and then track the city's progress over time.

"This initiative represents the kind of public-private partnership that is essential to helping us realize our ambitious vision for children and families," said Milton J. Little, Jr., president and CEO at the United Way of Massachusetts Bay. "Under the mayor's leadership, many diverse groups in the city will come together to develop shared goals for young children and determine which programs are the most effective and should be expanded, and what new opportunities are needed for children and their parents.

[Sidebar]

Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined community leaders and neighbors for the official groundbreaking of the new Jeremiah Burke High School/Library/Community Center. The extensive project not only breaks ground, but also breaks tradition with the inclusion of a public branch library to be built within a Boston Public School. (Photo courtesy of the Mayor's Office)