2 0 1 4 – 1 5 ANNUAL REPORT

School
Readiness
“Moving the pre-K registration to April was
not just a success with our parents, but has
placed us in position to have the smoothest
and most efficient start of school ever at
the pre-K level.”
– Whit Johnstone, Division Director of
Planning, Evaluation, and Research, Irving
ISD
Current Funders: 1
• Bezos Family Foundation
• The Dallas Foundation
• Esping Family Foundation
• The Meadows Foundation
• Rainwater Charitable Foundation
• Mike and Mary Terry Family Foundation
• United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
• Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas
• M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation
WHY SCHOOL READINESS MATTERS
7 to 1
return on investment in quality early education
from future reduced costs and increased
productivity 2
34,700
eligible 3-and 4-year-olds in Dallas County (56%)
are not enrolled in public pre-K or Head Start 3
45%
of Dallas County Kindergarteners did not
enter school ready in fall 2014, limiting their
subsequent achievement 4
COMMUNITY ACTION
107 9,105
20
community partners supported five districts
with 99,000 bilingual fliers and outreach
strategies, including media and grassroots
promotions to increase pre-K registration
students in four districts were assessed using a
common multi-domain Kindergarten readiness
tool, informing both instruction and regional
advocacy
organizations participating in an action
network and evaluation to leverage a new
digital app, Vroom, to equip & empower parents
to be their child’s first teacher
8
1. “Current funders” have given to the work for the 2014-15 period at a level of $25,000 or greater
2. James Heckman, 2008, “Schools, Skills, and Synapsis”
3. Calculation based on Texas Education Agency-Texas Academic Performance Reports, 2014; Head Start of Greater Dallas
4. Based on assessments administered at the beginning of the year in kindergarten at 9 districts and 1 charter network collectively representing 70% of all public PK-12 students in Dallas County