Our work in education

A good life begins with a good education. We believe that every child should have access to a quality education and we focus our efforts on three stages that are key to a successful education.

A quality early education that leads to school readiness

Research proves children who enter kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to graduate and become productive adults. While 85% of the core structure of the brain develops in the first three years of life, only 5% of public investments in children occur during these early years with more than 30 percent of all kindergarteners entering school already behind. United Way of Miami-Dade and the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education are committed to changing that statistic.

Opened in 2007, the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education is an innovative learning, teaching and training initiative dedicated to elevating the quality of early care and education in Miami-Dade and beyond. The Center models proven best practices, and shares those practices with adult learners including parents, educators, and child care providers. The Center also works with business leaders and lawmakers to raise the standards of early childhood education, and support sustainable and lasting change.

Academic achievement

Every day, an estimated 7,000 students across the nation drop out of school. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, in poor health, living in poverty and on public assistance. United Way is working to reverse that trend by investing in programs that provide support services for students, preparing them for standardized tests, and helping improve their math, science and literacy skills. Through these programs, over 13,000 elementary, middle and high school students were equipped with the tools they needed to improve their academic skills.

Productive and engaged youth

When youth engage in positive activities, they are more likely to avoid gangs, become self-sufficient, develop employment skills and finish school. Studies show that many youth get into trouble between the hours of 3 – 7 pm, when one in four teens remain unsupervised. United Way funds programs that have, in the last year, provided 30,000 boys and girls with afterschool activities, mentoring, and social and life skills workshops.