Education
We envision a community where all children enter kindergarten ready to learn, and all children and youth learn, achieve, and succeed while engaging families and communities.
BOLD COMMUNITY GOALS
Increase the number of children who meet developmental milestones and enter kindergarten ready
Baseline: 2019/2020 School Year – 42.1% of children entered Kindergarten demonstrating readiness
2020/2021 School Year – 24.8% of children entered Kindergarten demonstrating readiness (Horry County Schools Report Card)
2021/2022 School Year – 34% of children entered Kindergarten demonstrating readiness (Horry County Schools Report Card)
2022/2023 School Year- 28.2% of children entering Kindergarten demonstrating readiness (Horry County Schools Report Card)
Increase access to equitable learning opportunities and high-quality childcare for children and youth
Our Challenges in Horry County:
- In the 2021/2022 school year, 66% of students enrolled in Kindergarten are NOT demonstrating readiness. screportcards.ed.sc.gov
- In the 2021/2022 school year, 33% of second-grade students were NOT on track for success in English Language Arts in the third grade. screportcards.ed.sc.gov
- In the 2021 UWHC Community Needs Assessment, 55% of participants expressed that there are NOT enough safe, affordable, and full-time places for children to go.
- Unequal summer learning opportunities during elementary school years are responsible for about two-thirds of the ninth-grade achievement gap between lower and higher-income youth. eric.ed.gov
- 47% of Horry County is considered a childcare desert for children under five. South Carolina First Steps
Strategies to Achieve Our Vision:
Fund:
- Programs that improve academic and developmental milestones for children from birth through age 5
- Programs that increase the involvement of families, caregivers, and the community in the success of children from birth through age 5
- Programs that improve access to equitable learning opportunities and childcare for children and youth
- Programs that reduce summer learning loss and chronic absenteeism
- Programs that improve the basic academic skills of children performing below grade level
- Programs that offer diverse and flexible educational options for a variety of learners
Advocate:
- Support local, state, and national efforts to increase availability and access to quality early childhood and pre-school programs
- Support community efforts to improve access to equitable learning opportunities and quality childcare for children and youth
Collaborate:
- Collaborate with community, local, and state stakeholders to create a system for access and support resources and institutions that will promote and support the development of the whole child
- Collaborate with educational institutions and community-based agencies to exchange ideas, leverage resources, and drive collective action
Educate:
- Conduct an educational campaign to promote parent engagement and leadership in early education for children from birth through age 5
- Conduct an educational campaign to highlight the importance of quality summer and afterschool programs and parent engagement and leadership in education
Read more about our Community Game Plan and how we plan to focus our programs, collective impact work, and investments to meet the needs of our community through our Bold Goals.
