EDUCATION

The Problem

Louisiana’s economy would see a combination of
crime-related savings and additional revenue of about $204 million each year if the male high school graduation rate increased by 5%.

The Solution

United Way supports programs that help children and youth develop to their fullest potential. We partner with community organizations and parents to improve graduation rates and provide after school programs for at-risk youth.

During the 2008-2009 school year, volunteers with our partners spent over 5.6 million contact hours with 20,000 youth in the greater New Orleans area.

Success By 6 helps children enter school ready to succeed and works to increase the number of quality child care centers throughout the region.

The Quality Improvement Pool funds improvements in child care centers that help them achieve higher ratings in the State of Louisiana’s Quality Start rating system. Quality Start promotes quality child care while giving parents and centers valuable state tax credits.

Our community will ensure that all children by age six are healthy, safe and
functioning physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially at their optimum potential

UWGNOA Initiatives and Programs

• High Quality Child Care Project assists three child care centers, at different stages of organizational development, achieve national accreditation.
• Fast-Track Child Development Associate Certification Program helps child care teachers achieve academic certification in order to increase the quality of child care with concomitant results for children’s success in school.
• Quality Improvement Pool funds modest improvements in child care centers that help them improve programs for children and achieve higher ratings in the State of Louisiana’s Quality Start rating system.
• Greater New Orleans Rebuild Child Care Collaborative, with Agenda for Children, the State of Louisiana and others, rebuilds child care centers destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina with focus on increasing the quality of early childhood education programs.
• Louisiana Dropout Prevention works with local public school systems to decrease dropout and increase graduation rates.
• Unified Summer Grants Collaborative, with The Wallace Foundation and others, increases the availability and quality of summer programs for low-income children and youth.

Program funding for agencies in two priority areas: 

• Provide Quality Developmental & Learning Experiences: Quality Child Care, Academic Support and Enrichment, Transition to Work
• Support Families: Parents and Children Together