To ensure strong communities, it is imperative that all our nation’s students graduate from high school prepared for post-secondary education or the workforce. This preparation starts early, with access to affordable, high-quality child-care and early learning opportunities so that children enter school ready to learn. Elementary and secondary school students must have access to a challenging, well-rounded curriculum and wraparound supports, such as afterschool and summer learning programs. And because a high school diploma is not sufficient in today’s knowledge economy, every young adult should have the opportunity to pursue a quality degree or credential, even as higher education costs continue to rise and despite the barriers to entry and completion that exist for low-income students.
To ensure that 95 percent of students graduate high school ready for college and a career and 5 million people get better jobs, United Way will fight for:
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Increase access to high quality early care and education opportunities, especially for low-income children and their families.
- Increased CCDBG funding to improve access to high quality child care for all children, especially for low-income children.
- Increased funding for and access to high quality early childhood programs via Early Head Start, Head Start, and state-sponsored Pre-K programs.
- Increased funding and/or set-asides as part of existing funding streams, to support professional development and training for early childhood staff to strengthen program quality.
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Support the funding and effective implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
- The implementation of ESSA’s provisions with fidelity at the state level, to protect disadvantaged groups and to ensure that families and communities are engaged in these efforts.
- Increased funding for the critical programs authorized in ESSA that address literacy, out-of-school time, and wraparound supports such as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Full-Service Community Schools Program.
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Expand opportunities for students to obtain a post-secondary credential.
- Federal efforts to increase college access, persistence and completion through the Higher Education Act
- Strengthened programs and policies that minimize student debt and help families make more informed borrowing decisions such as the Federal Pell Grant program.
- Funding for federal programs that provide youth with alternative pathways to post-secondary education and the careers of their choice, through the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act and other federal programs.
