Education

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

Many communities struggle with the same educational concerns: children are not ready to enter school, and as a result may fall behind in core proficiencies such as reading; when students fall behind—and stay behind—academically, it is less likely that they will graduate from high school. While these are considerable challenges, United Way is working on solutions.

Children start learning at birth, which gives parents a tremendous opportunity to be their first teachers. In partnership with First 5 San Luis Obispo, Bank of America, PG&E, the SLO County Child Care Planning Council, SLO County Child Abuse Prevention Council, Home Depot, the Ad Council and others, United Way is educating parents and caregivers about simple, everyday learning opportunities they can engage in with their young children to help promote kindergarten readiness. The Born Learning program includes several components, including downloadable tools and materials, video and radio PSA’s, and Born Learning Trails installed in Mitchell Park in SLO and Oceano Elementary School. Please visit the Born Learning page for additional details.

As they get older, keeping youth active and engaged in the community is part of preparing them to take over as future leaders of our community, state and country. The United Way Youth Board helps students learn about nonprofits and the importance of giving back to the community, while building confidence and leadership skills that will benefit participants well into adulthood. Combining philanthropy, education, community activism and other skills, Youth Board brings together high school students from across the county to positively impact our community. For more information, visit the Youth Board page.

Our newest program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, helps children prepare for school and fosters a love for reading by providing children with a new book every month. Available to children from birth to 5 years old, the Imagination Library helps children start their own collection of books that they can add to as they grow. More information can be found on the Imagination Library page.

In addition to our year-round programs, annual events such as Stuff the Bus and KidSpree help prepare children to go back to school with the supplies and confidence they need to succeed. Check out our special events page for details.

Born Learning

Youth Board

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Stuff the Bus and KidSpree

Click below to view a video featuring Julian Crocker