Our blog

Now is the time to put Virginia’s children at the top of your list!  Last fall, 34% of Virginia’s children entered our kindergarten classrooms ready to fail.[1] Children who enter kindergarten behind their peers rarely catch up; instead the achievement and readiness gaps widen over time.  These children are more likely to fall behind grade-level […]

Virginia’s goal should be high quality for kids. When it comes to outcomes for our children, it’s all about high quality.  Expanding mediocre programs that are underfunded and inadequately monitored is NOT good for children. Check out David Kirp’s editorial piece in the NYT on the recent Vanderbilt study on Tennessee’s preschool program. It turns out that […]

The statewide rollout for Virginia’s Kindergarten Readiness Project has begun!  See below for all the details from UVA CASTL and learn how your school district can take part in the next phase! In the fall 2014, sixteen school divisions partnered with UVA & E3 in piloting an expanded assessment of children’s kindergarten readiness skills, to compliment […]

  Last week, The Brookings Institute released a paper on the importance of focusing on social and emotional development to ensure children’s academic success.  In the paper, author Hugh Price, calls for a new educational paradigm that focuses on both the academic AND social development of struggling students noting, “Students who struggle perpetually in school […]

  A recent article in The Washington Post  cited a new study published in Nature Neuroscience which found that poor children have smaller brains than their more affluent peers.  The study examined nearly 1,100 children ranging in age from 3-20 and found that the brains of children from families who earned less than $25,000 a year had surface […]

Entering kindergarten is a major milestone for every child and, for many, can be an adjustment. To help make the transition a little bit easier, our friends at the Suffolk Early Childhood Development Commission (ECDC) recently put together two videos to help equip and prepare both parents and children as they get ready to head to kindergarten […]

Earlier this month, The University of Virginia Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (UVA CASTL) released their final report as part of Virginia’s Kindergarten Readiness Project (VKRP), a two-year study commissioned by the Virginia Legislature and E3: Elevate Early Education. VKRP implemented and evaluated a comprehensive readiness assessment, which provides the Commonwealth, districts, schools […]

RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Virginia has been awarded a $17.5 million federal Preschool Expansion Grant that will allow the Commonwealth to serve as many as 1,600 additional at-risk four-year-olds in new, high-quality preschool classes. In addition, the grant will fund enhanced services to approximately 1,400 children in existing pre-kindergarten classrooms.“Expanding preschool […]

Last night, one of E3’s founding board members, Jane Batten, received the prestigious Darden Award for Regional Leadership.  The award is given annually by The Civic Leadership Institute to an individual who creates sustainable efforts toward the betterment of life for the people of the Hampton Roads Region. Jane was recognized for her longstanding philanthropic leadership in […]

Last week, The Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation co-sponsored an executive briefing on the Economics of Early Childhood. The briefing featured Mike Petters, CEO of Huntington Ingalls Industries, who spoke on the importance of investing in early education because as Petters says, “the earlier you fix a problem, the better […]

Last month, E3 hosted a hard hat tour and Challenge Campaign kickoff event for business, civic and philanthropic leaders in the South Hampton Roads region to see first-hand the vision and progress of The New E3 School. Cox 11 was on-hand to interview local business and civic leaders, as well as elected officials on the […]

Last week marked the 10th anniversary of the groundbreaking for Saint Patrick Catholic School in Norfolk, VA.  Since they broke ground, Saint Patrick’s has been driven by the vision of an excellent, faith-filled education of the whole child, while always remaining accessible and welcoming to families from all walks of life.  In fact, 3 out of […]

Earlier this month, we kicked off our Challenge Campaign for The New E3 School in Norfolk, VA. To help us make the case for the importance of investing in early education, we called in a few friends to help us out.  Check it out below! Want to learn more about The New E3 School?  Click […]

  You may have heard that last month, Governor McAuliffe announced the Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success, saying, “The Commonwealth Council on Childhood Success and its members are charged with ensuring that every child born in Virginia has the resources he or she needs to succeed in school and thrive in a new Virginia economy.” […]

Sadly, it’s time to wrap up our mini-tour of great places for kids and families across Virginia.  Our fourth and final stop?   Charlottesville! Charlottesville isn’t just for college kids, there are SO many fun things for children and families! Here are some favorites: Carter’s Mountain–head up to Cater’s Mountain for peach and apple picking […]