Helping Students in King County Graduate
Education is a gateway out of poverty, but odds are often stacked against low-income kids from the start. United Way is working to break down these barriers in order to give kids in King County a fighting chance and empower Seattle schools to engage these students—and we need your help.
Words heard by age 5 (in millions)
By the time low-income children are 5 years old, they will have heard 30 million fewer words than their wealthy peers.
Three out of four low-income kids in Washington start school behind their more affluent peers.
That’s not fair. And what happens if you start school behind? Are you ever able to catch up?
For 14,000 youth in Seattle and King County, the answer has been no. Instead, these disconnected youth have dropped out of school, have no plans to attend college, and don’t have viable job prospects.
Solutions that speak for themselves
United Way uses proven solutions to coach parents, help pre-K kids prepare for the classroom, and support high school students to get back on track after major struggles or dropping out.
Parent-Child Home Program
The Parent-Child Home Program supports families during the crucial early years of child development. Trained coaches bring educational books and toys to parents to help them become their child’s first and best teacher.
Impact to date
1,300
Families participating in the program
95%
Completion rate of participants
30
Percentage points more likely to graduate
Reconnecting Youth
United Way provides alternative methods and support for youth to complete their education and work towards a high school dimploma, a college degree, and a stable career.
Impact to date
1,530
Youth earned a high school credential
8,609
Participants in the program
$16M+
Raised to help reconnect youth
You can get involved
These programs have been proven to be effective in helping students graduate. Now we need your support to bring these programs to scale. By 2020 our goal is to have 80% of low-income kids start kindergarten prepared and to re-engage 7,000 disconnected youth. Will you help students graduate by giving a gift today?