Ensuring Children are Ready to Learn

Two years ago, Fight For Children partnered with the Urban Institute and ChildTrends to detail the areas of greatest need for DC children and to identify evidence-based programs that were effective in addressing these needs. Fight For Children published Every DC Child a Champion, the initiative’s final report, in late 2009. It concluded that the two areas of greatest potential investment impact for Fight For Children were programs that provide quality early childhood education and that prevent childhood obesity.

Because of the report’s conclusions, we have determined that in addition to our focus on supporting education reform in Washington, DC, we will have a new focus on early childhood education. To that end, Fight For Children’s board of directors and staff have set an ambitious five-year goal that by 2014, all DC children will be ready to learn when they enter kindergarten.

To meet the goal, Fight For Children has established Ready to Learn DC. The initiative will seek to:

• increase the number of high-quality, early childhood education programs in Washington, DC, and
• help parents better understand the attributes of a quality preschool and outline how to choose the school best suited for their child.

To learn more about Ready to Learn DC visit www.readytolearndc.org.