Education forms the foundation for a student’s entire life. It opens doors, broadens horizons and enables children to thrive.
United Way Quad Cities creates, leads and invests in initiatives that strengthen early education, enrich out-of-school time and provide strong pathways to success after high school.
Working collectively with community leaders, volunteers, partners and supporters like you, we helped more than 19,000 students lay the groundwork for ongoing educational success.
We’ve teamed up with community leaders to help our youth reach their full potential in life. Education, along with income and health, is one of the building blocks of opportunity.
In line with our Rise United 2030 community goals, we are driving transformative change in education by focusing on youth literacy — a key indicator of a child’s future success.
(Quad Cities Educational Data Exchange – 2023)
You may also be interested in our Income Goals and our Health Goals.
Talk is great. But, what about the results? United Way investments target where we’ll have the greatest impact. We’re about solving the biggest problems facing our community, and sharing how we’ve moved the needle thanks to our growing network of supporters.
Here are just a few areas of how, together, we changed young lives just this past year.
of children whose parents participated in kindergarten readiness programming started school with the necessary skills.
of students who participated in our reading programming have improved their literacy skills.
students discovered a career path aligned with their interests after participating in funded career exploration programs.
While COVID and other challenges have been a setback for kids, we stay laser focused on solutions that achieve real results for our kids. We do this with relentless focus on our benchmarks.
Research underscores the significance of these six milestones, not only for academic performance but also as a cornerstone for economic mobility. That’s why we are targeting improvements to these specific benchmarks.
When you invest $10 a month through United Way Quad Cities, you can give a grade school student books to develop literacy skills and ignite a passion for reading they’ll carry with them for life.
When you invest $10 a month through United Way Quad Cities, you can give a grade school student books to develop literacy skills and ignite a passion for reading they’ll carry with them for life.
At United Way, our success means more students are graduating high school prepared for their success.
We know that preparing students for success starts early. Kids who enter kindergarten ready to learn are more likely to be “reading to learn” by third grade. Reading is key to their success – those who read more proficiently are more likely to graduate from high school ready for college, career and living wage jobs.
Here’s how early investments in our youngest create a ripple effect of greater opportunity:
CHILDREN WHO RECEIVE PRE-K EDUCATION are 2x more likely to succeed in kindergarten and read proficiently by third grade.
STUDENTS WHO ARE PROFICIENT IN READING BY THIRD GRADE are 5X more likely to graduate from high school ready for college or career.
STUDENTS WHO ARE PROFICIENT IN ADVANCED MATH BY EIGHTH GRADE are better problem solvers in real-life and more likely to attend college and earn postsecondary credentials.
STUDENTS WHO GRADUATE PREPARED FOR COLLEGE OR A CAREER are 1.5x more likely to achieve postsecondary success.
STUDENTS WHO GAIN PATHWAYS TO POSTSECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES such as career credentials are 2x more likely to earn a living wage.
YOUNG ADULTS WHO EARN A LIVING WAGE are 2x more likely to increase their children's income trajectory at birth, as they start families.
A volunteer reading program that promotes youth literacy through one-on-one tutoring in schools.
A free program that empowers parents with resources and insights so they can support their child’s development and prepare them for kindergarten.
Our community schools initiative brings a wide range of resources to students and their families and helps remove barriers.
United Way Quad Cities works with funded partner organizations making a difference in education every day.
Your investment through United Way Quad Cities can bolster programs like Books & Barbers which support student learning and social-emotional health.
When kids fall behind in school, they get frustrated and check out before they drop out. We create, partner and invest in a range of programs that set students up to achieve now and in the future. Education is the best investment we can make to eradicate poverty, empower students to develop their full potential and build a strong talent and workforce pipeline.
When you give to United Way, you are making a positive difference here in the Quad Cities. Your generous gift will fund programs and partnerships that help more of our neighbors thrive.
Join us in making a positive impact in our community by signing up to volunteer today. Your time and skills can make a difference in the lives of many.
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