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The Partnership

The Partnership.

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The Partnership

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  1. The Partnership • The SPARK Initiative is an Aurora Early Childhood Collaboration. It is a partnership among the City of Aurora, Fox Valley United Way, School Districts 129 (West Aurora), 131 (East Aurora), 204 (Indian Prairie) and 308 (Oswego), Aurora Public Library and Illinois Action for Children in partnership with local Aurora agencies who serve children and families • Start-up funding is being provided through a $250,000 two-year challenge grant from the Dunham Fund.

  2. SPARK’s Mission: The mission of SPARK early childhood collaboration is to empower our diverse families and children to attain full success in learning and life by ensuring all Aurora’s young children have equal access to exemplary Early Childhood Care and Education.

  3. Early Childhood in the US • 46% of America’s kindergarteners are behind • Children from low-wage families are 1-2 years behind in language • Preschoolers in high-income brackets score 60% higher in cognitive scores than those in the lowest brackets • The achievement gap starts before school does.

  4. The Achievement Gap Grows Of 50 children who are having trouble learning to read in kindergarten, 44 of them will still have trouble in 3rd grade. “This gap only grows over time -- undermining school readiness and success in life.” -Dr. Craig Ramey, Center for Health & Education, Georgetown University Children without reading skills by 3rd grade are unlikely to graduate.

  5. How Does Aurora Measure Up? • 36% of Aurora’s 3rd graders fail to meet standards on ISATs in reading Including 50% of 3rd graders in Districts 129 & 131 • More than 1/4 of Aurora East & West High Schools students do not finish high school

  6. How Does Aurora Measure Up? • School readiness risk factors are very prevalent: 12% of Aurora adults have less than a 9th grade education 31% of births are to unmarried women Half of young children in Aurora are in low-income families • More than half of the children screened for the District 131 Early Childhood Program show evidence of developmental delay at age three—before they even begin preschool

  7. Aurora’s Challenge • Aurora has only half as many licensed child care slots as it needs for 3 & 4 year olds, and a quarter of what it needs for infants and toddlers • Most families piece together child care from family, friends and neighbors—care that is often unreliable and not developmentally enriching for children • Few Aurora families are taking advantage of state Child Care Assistance to help with child care costs

  8. Aurora’s Challenge • Fewer than half of at-risk children ages 3 & 4 are attending preschool in Aurora • Aurora significantly trails the state average and other cities like Rockford, Springfield, Joliet • Aurora is ranked #2 among Illinois municipalities in need for early learning “slots”

  9. The Solution SPARK is a collaborative approach in which Aurora Early Childhood Stakeholders will work jointly to ensure every child in Aurora has access to early learning opportunities. • Ensure families are aware of the importance of early learning and connect them with programs and services • Coordinate efforts among the school districts’ early childhood programs, Head Start, child care providers and other early learning programs to maximize both impact and efficiency • Support quality improvement in Aurora early childhood education and care programs • Support the expansion of formal and in formal learning opportunities in the Aurora community

  10. Quality Early Learning REDUCES Crime Rates Teenage Pregnancy Welfare Dependency Job Training Costs Special Education Cost Grade Repetition Quality Early Learning INCREASES Success in School Graduation Rates Workforce Readiness Job Productivity Community Engagement Last Thoughts… • Personal ROI is Strong • Early learning influences long-term success Quality Early Learning REDUCES Crime Rates Teenage Pregnancy Welfare Dependency Job Training Costs Special Education Cost Grade Repetition Quality Early Learning REDUCES Crime Rates Teenage Pregnancy Welfare Dependency Job Training Costs Special Education Cost Grade Repetition

  11. Children are Our Future “The best way to develop a well-educated and well-trained workforce for the future is to start early – because even the best schools cannot produce the best workers if children are coming to school ready to fail.” -- Former N.C. Governor James B. Hunt Jr. For more information about Contact: (630) 790-3030 ext. 108

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