United Way's kindergarten readiness goal a work in progress

Sep. 29—The United Way undertook an ambitious goal in 2017: have 75% of Howard County 5-year-olds ready for kindergarten by 2022.

Coined 75in5, the campaign brought together community stakeholders and resources in an effort to have young children ready to learn by the time they start school.

By the time a child is 5 years old, about 95% of brain pathways are formed. It doesn't mean new ones can't be formed later in life, but those first five years are paramount, according to Abbie Smith, former president and CEO of the United Way of Howard and Tipton Counties.

"We really have a short amount of time to make a big difference," she said.

Children are assessed within their first month of kindergarten. The evaluation rates 5-year-olds as "ready," "somewhat ready" and "not ready," depending on how an evaluator rates them on a 25-skills list.

Skills include being able to identify colors, hold a pencil, write one's name, ask for help and communicate wants and needs.

Between 700 and 900 children have been assessed each year of the 75in5 campaign.

Four years of data says there's plenty of work left to do.

Forty-five percent of 5-year-olds were considered ready for kindergarten when the United Way rolled out its 75in5 campaign. That number dropped in the years following, two of which occurred during the pandemic.

Children considered not ready for kindergarten increased to 35% in 2020.

Data from 2021 indicates kindergarten readiness has rebounded back to the 45% mark, according to information provided by United Way.

But there's more to the numbers.

Children considered somewhat ready increased to 28% in 2021, the highest ever. The percentage of children not ready for kindergarten was the lowest it had ever been — 27% — since United Way began tracking readiness in 2017.

"The fact we didn't drop further and it rebounded and 'not ready' went down to the lowest it's ever been makes me hopeful," Smith said.

Kindergarten readiness statistics for 2022 are not yet available.

Collective impact origins

75in5 was born out of conversations with the community. The United Way polled people with a simple fill-in-the-blank prompt: "My hope is to live in a community where (insert answer)."

The affirmative prompt aimed to identify areas in the community that could be improved. Instead of asking people what's wrong or what isn't working, the survey framed it in a positive light, something the entire community could work toward.

"It's not the way we originally approach this work," Smith said.

It's part of the collective impact model, a strategy that brings different sectors of a community together to achieve a common goal.

Survey responses identified an emphasis on early childhood education, as well as mental health and substance abuse.

The United Way partnered with superintendents of the five public schools in Howard County, along with local government, parents, child care centers, Indiana University Kokomo and Ivy Tech Community College.

"The onus isn't on the 5-year-old," Smith said. "It's the community, it's on us to give them what they need."

But how would 5-year-olds be evaluated? What does kindergarten readiness look like? Luckily, there's research on the latter; local teachers gave input, too.

Local educators parsed down a list of 75 essential skills to 25 they'd like children entering kindergarten to have. This checklist is used to evaluate incoming kindergartners.

The skills fall into five categories: approaches to learning (ability to pay attention), cognition (counting, colors), language (speech, letters), physical development (feeding, eating) and social and emotional development (following direction, controlling emotions).

In it for the long haul

Barring a monumental jump in the number of children who are ready for kindergarten, the United Way will not hit its 75% goal for 2022.

"We knew it was lofty," said Carman Toler, community impact director at United Way.

But it doesn't mean it's a goal worth giving up on anytime soon.

Toler said the United Way will assess what's worked and how to move forward later this fall. Increasing kindergarten readiness will remain a goal.

An effort that likely helped get more children ready for kindergarten is On My Way Pre-K. The program awards grants to low-income families of 4-years-olds so they can access high-quality preschool. The United Way pushed to have On My Way Pre-K providers in Howard County.

Children who attend preschool are generally more prepared for kindergarten than those who do not.

The pandemic was a disruptor of early child care as facilities were closed. Children missed out on those readiness skills many child care providers help develop, especially if parents didn't or couldn't fill that gap. A lack of socialization during the pandemic also hindered childhood development.

"Not having access to child care was a real setback for kids under 5 during that period of time," Smith said.

The Very Early Childhood Education Center, 210 W. Walnut St., Kokomo, offers a plethora of resources for young families, all for free. This includes a play area, parent meetups, educational classes and the Totes for Tots program — a monthly package of activities, crafts and books for kids to do at home.

A larger play area opened this summer. Kindergarten readiness is at the heart of all programs and resources at the Very Early Childhood Education Center.

The financial impact of the pandemic and its relation to child care opportunities is another factor that has hindered kindergarten readiness.

The United Way, through its Emergency Response Initiative, offers grants to child care providers so those facilities can remain open. The organization also offers training programs on how to write competitive grants for child care providers.

Toler said parent engagement and reaching those whose children aren't in child care were and remain challenges.

The United Way developed a 75in5 Readiness Kit, available online to combat this. The kit features activities parents and guardians can do at home with their children to work on readiness skills.

The kit can be found online at https://unitedwayhoco.org/early-childhood-education/.

Though how the United Way moves forward with kindergarten readiness remains to be seen, Smith said it will remain a focus, given the resources in place, and most importantly, because the community said it is important.

"We are in this for the long term," she said.

Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.