Our Work:
E3: Elevate Early Education is a bipartisan, issue-advocacy organization that advocates for state funds to be invested in early education through third grade with a focus on access, equity, quality and impact for all children.
The Challenge:
- Pre-COVID, 44% of Virginia’s children were NOT READY for Kindergarten in literacy, math, social skills and self-regulation.
- In Spring 2021, 52% of Virginia’s kindergarteners ended the school year still needing to build foundational skills in literacy, math, social skills and self-regulation (VKRP, Spring 2021).
- More children are entering kindergarten without key readiness skills (VKRP, 2020).
- Kindergarten through third grade assessments show more kindergarten and first grade students started the school year at high-risk of reading failure compared to the prior year (PALS, Fall 2020).
- More Black, Hispanic, economically-disadvantaged, and English learners are at high risk of reading failure. This is a threat to third grade reading outcomes that will have an impact for years to come (PALS, Fall 2020).
- Third graders who are not reading at grade level are among the most vulnerable to drop out of school later (National Conference of State Legislators 2019).
- Post-COVID, the achievement, readiness and reading gaps ARE WIDENING across the income spectrum.
The Research:
Tells us that investing in early learning up to third grade benefits all children, families, communities and society.
Our Strategy:
Improve the achievement, readiness and reading gaps for ALL children.
The Solution:
- Increase equitable access to quality early learning for children and families up to third grade.
- Make equitable access to quality a top priority to close the opportunity gap.
The Impact:
- Increased access to quality early learning programs.
- Increased readiness for kindergarten.
- Improved longitudinal outcomes for children in literacy, math, social skills and self-regulation.
- Improved third grade SOL passage rate in reading.
- Improved third grade SOL passage rate in math.
- Aligned and integrated curriculum up to third grade.
- Improved funding formula.