Kindergarten Readiness

Our Goal

Every child is prepared for kindergarten.
 

WHY IT MATTERS

Early childhood experiences are crucial to shape a child's health and behavior across a lifetime – nurturing, high-quality experiences matter. However, one out of every four children in DC is starting school with vulnerabilities in one or more areas that are are critical to his or her healthy development. And while a large body of evidence shows that children who enter kindergarten behind their peers are likely to remain lagging throughout their education, until recently, DC had no agreed-upon way to measure kindergarten readiness. This baseline measure debuted in Raise DC's Progress Report in 2018. 
 

IndiCators Tied To This Goal

  • Percentage of children entering kindergarten meeting expected benchmarks in multiple domains

 
 

OUR WORK TOWARD THIS GOAL

VPP + Raise DC
is now Youth
Invest Partners

In June of 2000, Venture Philanthropy Partners opened it doors, spurred by the efforts of three founders who asked themselves,
“Could the business world provide a different, innovative approach to social change?”

In the years that followed, VPP quickly became a strategic hub for high-impact investments through deep and sustained partnerships with foundations, businesses, government agencies and school systems.

In April of 2020, VPP formed a strategic alliance with Raise DC to build an investment organization capable of driving alignment among communities, and nonprofit, business and regional leaders around systems change. VPP+Raise DC committed to call out and confront policies, practices and systems that contribute to racial inequity.

Today, we recognize the need to do more, be bolder, and act faster. Youth Invest Partners is a call to “dream big and do big” to drive change that will build better futures for Greater Washington youth today and in the days, months and years to come. Our new name and brand reflects energy and focus as we collaborate, innovate and transform.

Join us and learn more