Kindergarten is the start of a journey.
We want all children to be ready.
There are many ways to help young children prepare for kindergarten. It involves quality early education, strong families and safe homes. Unfortunately, too many kids in our area are not prepared to succeed when they start kindergarten. In our service area, 1 in 5 students begins kindergarten without the skills necessary to learn and thrive in elementary school.
United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg wants to close this opportunity gap. We believe that all children deserve the opportunity to succeed in school, and that begins with kindergarten readiness.
Programs
United Way’s Kindergarten Countdown Camp is a free summer learning program for rising kindergarten students with limited to no preschool experience. Taught by licensed teachers, Kindergarten Countdown Camp prepares students and their parents for a successful start in kindergarten.
Learn More
Building connections and wonder in our youngest learners requires experiences that extend beyond the usual spaces. And building the safe, inviting infrastructure where that can happen is a project in itself. How it Works United Way builds and installs educational trails in local parks and other community spaces. These trails help parents, caregivers and communities use everyday moments outdoors to…
Learn More2023 Funded Partners
- FRIENDS Association for Children Preschool
- Greater Richmond SCAN Circle Preschool Program
- Greater Richmond SCAN Family Support Program
- Sacred Heart Center Family Literacy Project
- SOAR365 (formerly Greater Richmond ARC) Pediatric Therapy
- YWCA Sprout School The Sprout School
Featured Story
Prepared for Possibilities
Most parents of young children understand the importance of early education. Not many have a clear plan for how to pay for tuition, which often costs 1,000 a month or more. Bonnie found herself in that exact situation when her twins, Lilli and Leo, were born in 2014. Then she learned that United Way was launching a Kindergarten Countdown Camp in her area.
Latest Updates
United Way Brings Back In-Person Kindergarten Countdown Camps
Building off the success of its 2019 pilot camp and following a shift to virtual in 2020, United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg will host eight Kindergarten Countdown Camps this summer in schools across Powhatan, Goochland and Dinwiddie. The expansion will empower more than 100 young children and their families to succeed in kindergarten this fall.
