Valley of the Sun United Way

We close opportunity gaps to ensure children read at grade level by 3rd grade and youth are prepared for educational success and employment.

Reading for Success

Reading is the foundation of success, but many Arizona students are falling behind. Right now, 65% of 3rd-graders in our state are not proficient in reading. Valley of the Sun United Way is partnering with Read Better Be Better to help students start a new chapter. Read Better Be Better is a peer-to-peer after school program. Readers are paired with middle school leaders for 10 weeks. The reader improves their literacy skills while their leader improves their leadership skills.

MC2026 Goals

25%

Increase 3rd grade reading proficiency by 25%.

38%

Increase youth age 16-24 engaged in education and employment opportunities by 38%.

The Need in Maricopa County

A high school diploma and post-secondary education are the gateway to better paying jobs. Nearly 7 of 10 jobs in Arizona require training beyond high school. Student success starts with quality early education that builds skills, especially reading proficiency. If students are not proficient readers when they begin fourth grade, as much as half of the curriculum will be incomprehensible, and they are four times more likely to drop out of high school. Yet, in Arizona, only 35% of third graders read proficiently.

At the other end of the education spectrum, 1 in 4 local 16-24 year olds are not enrolled in school or employed, a number which has spiked dramatically during the pandemic to nearly 145,000 Opportunity Youth. Every student who does not complete high school costs an estimated $260,000 in lost earnings, taxes and productivity. Conversely, re-engaging one Opportunity Youth will return $65,230 in taxpayer savings and enable the student to contribute $105,500 in tax revenue, reduce crime expenditure by $13,700 and reduce government benefits by $9,660.

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Solutions at Work

School Readiness Kits

Scholastic and the Valley of the Sun United Way have partnered together to facilitate powerful school-to-home connections. Conveniently bundled in a friendly tote bag for learning at home or on the go, this English and Spanish bilingual kit comes packed with over 80 fun and educational activities for families to do with their children in preparation for school.

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Summer Learning Collaborative

Each summer, students can lose knowledge equal to two months of learning. To prevent summer learning loss, we are partnered with out-of-school summer centers to add tools to retain and improve literacy skills for kindergarten through 3rd graders.

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VELLO

In Arizona, if a child isn’t reading at grade level by 4th grade, they could be held back. Because teachers don’t always have the time to do one-on-one guided reading sessions, students are now able to get connected thanks to VELLO® online tutoring.

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Our Education Partners

We support more than 50 programs and services provided by school, nonprofit and community partners who focus on building and strengthening literacy, increasing online learning and providing supportive services for families and teachers. The below Coalition members focus on our Mighty education goals and develop strategies to create impact. When informed by the Coalition and their Action Teams, we change course as needed to stay focused on the right programs and solutions to reach our bold goals for Maricopa County.

Are you an education partner? Do you have a job you're seeking candidates for? Submit your job using this form.

Looking for a job with one of our education partners? View job postings here.

A New Leaf, Inc.*

Academic de Pueblo - "Friendly House"

ACCEL*

Arizona Department of Education

Arizona Head Start Association

Arizona Kids Think Too*

Arizona Latino Leaders in Education*

Arizona’s Children Association*

ASU Opportunity Youth Zone

Avondale Elementary School District*