Wise Choices Curriculum

In Arizona, if a child isn’t reading at grade level by 4^th 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 to passionate professionals, volunteering to tutor, thanks to Vello Online Tutoring.

When a child attends an after school program, they have access to mentoring and counseling to assist with life and school challenges, including readiness for post-secondary education and employment. United Way works to improve access and quality of after school programs.

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.

For children with limited access to food at home, school may be the only place they can get a nutritious meal. We believe in helping kids have a better relationship with food and more focus on their education, not their hunger.

Although many schools offer breakfast in the cafeteria, studies how that kids are more likely to actually eat breakfast when it is served in class. When breakfast is served in the classroom, there are fewer nurse visits, decreased overall tardiness, and less behavioral problems in class.

If we are going to help young people in the Phoenix area succeed - bettering the community for all of us - it will require a unique approach. Thriving Together is a collective impact initiative, combining rich data with people of a variety of backgrounds and perspectives - all with the shared goal of creating a better future for our youth.