WE ARE MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE FOR ALL KIDS!

E3: Elevate Early Education selected by The Dollywood Foundation and contracted by the Virginia Department of Education to be the State Program Partner. E3 will oversee the day to day and reach more children and families to ensure equitable access through public-private investment. TDWF, VDOE and E3 will provide an annual outcome report.

Powerful public-private partnership established between the Commonwealth of Virginia, The Dollywood Foundation (TDWF), Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), E3: Elevate Early Education (E3) and the Local Program Partners to collectively grow DPIL across Virginia.

Raised awareness and advocated for the Virginia Literacy Act(VLA). Over $21m secured for implementation of the VLA and other literacy initiatives.

Learn More

Promote, grow and sustain Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

The bipartisan bill passed in the House and Senate. Governor Youngkin signed into law to promote, grow and sustain Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library(DPIL) in Virginia. This is a unique partnership between the Dollywood Foundation, Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia legislature, E3, local partners and philanthropy. E3 is the future VA state partner. The costs are shared between the state, the Dollywood Foundation and local partners. $1.2m first year and $1.2m second year.

DPIL is a book- gifting program that mails books directly to children and families in every zip code to instill a love of reading before kindergarten. Over 65,000+ children and families are enrolled and receiving books.

The Virginia Language and Literacy Screener System (VALLSS)

Early literacy screeners from PreK – 3rd grade help teachers understand the skills children have in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and listening comprehension. VALLSS can help detect reading difficulties early, provide instructional information to teachers and strategies for families in English and Spanish. Funding is for PreK – 8th grade to develop and implement a statewide screener through the biennium. $6.9m first year and $4.9m second year

Coaching, Professional Development, Technical Assistance and Curriculum Review

Literacy coaches provide support in the classroom to improve instruction and student reading achievement. The curriculum review process focuses on adoption of high-quality instructional materials aligned with the science of reading and the reading SOLS. It includes core and supplemental curricula materials. $3.4m first year and $3.4m second year

E3 Board determines that they will focus on the initiatives that stakeholders consistently identified for our work. READ MORE HERE →

Conducted 24 Listening Sessions across Virginia to convene business and civic leaders, school leaders, elected officials, parents, philanthropists, principals, current and retired teachers, reading specialists, school board members and university faculty to understand the challenges they were facing. A Superintendent’s Roundtable discussion with the E3 Board of Directors kicked off the sessions. Stakeholders were from across Virginia(Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Norfolk, Northern Virginia, Richmond, Roanoke and Virginia Beach.

Partnered with public media, philanthropists, policymakers, school divisions, libraries, the Youngkin administration, UVA and others to curate and host six screening events of The Right to Read documentary with a panel of experts to raise awareness around the reading crisis and the Virginia Literacy Act.

Raised awareness + advocated for the Virginia Literacy Act for K-3. Legislation passed + $10m secured.

Advocated + expanded the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program(VKRP) Pilot Program for first through third grade to give a longitudinal view of children from preschool to third grade. $1.5m secured for UVA and VDOE. This builds upon all our work around the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program in partnership with UVA and VDOE.

Advocated + advanced the expansion of The New E3 School’s STREAMin model developed by UVA in our school. $13.7m awarded to expand to over 4,000 classrooms across Virginia.

Batten-Minor Challenge met + matched.

Launched Raise Your Hand, VA digital awareness campaign. 364,000+ reached, 55,000+ engaged.

$2.3m raised for scholarships for 93 children from low-and-middle income families to attend The New E3 School.

Met with gubernatorial candidates & policymakers to emphasize that education starting with early learning must be a top priority.

E3 leads advocacy for early education through the Early Learning NOW campaign.

$85 million for early learning fully restored.

40% of the net profit from the sale of marijuana goes to dedicated funding for over 20,000 at-risk children to have access to high-quality early learning programs. The estimated impact is $80-$120m in dedicated funding.

$11.1 million to increase the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) per pupil amount from $6,326 in FY 21 to $7,655 in FY22 to improve quality.

E3 + The New E3 School provide expertise in developing guidelines and protocols during the health crisis.

E3: Elevate Early Education and Early Education Matters campaign supporters push for the Northam Administration to secure $10m in GEER funds to increase access and improve quality for children. Governor Northam is the only governor to allocate GEER funds to early education.

The budget and legislative package including $85m for early education priorities and historic policy changes passed with bipartisan support.

As part of the historic legislative package:

Transitioning early education from the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

Increasing access to quality for all children in publicly-funded programs.

Improving quality in the Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) for at-risk children.

Expanding VPI to three-year-olds through a mixed-delivery program.

Increasing VPI per pupil amount.

Aligning the health, safety (currently 727 regulations) and quality standards for licensed programs under VDOE.

Providing support to attract and retain early childhood educators.

EARLY EDUCATION MATTERS

E3 launches the Early Education Matters advocacy campaign and nonpartisan coalition to advance our legislative priorities. The campaign and growing coalition work to advance early education for all children in the areas of access, equity, quality and impact.

VIRGINIA PRESCHOOL INITIATIVE

VPI classrooms in 123 school divisions are observed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) observation tool that measures teacher-child interactions across learning domains. All classrooms will be using a vetted curriculum (from a state-determined list per JLARC) by 2021.

THE VIRGINIA KINDERGARTEN READINESS PROGRAM (VKRP)

All kindergarten classrooms across the state are mandated to participate in the pre-assessment (fall 2019) and post (2020).

STREAMIN3 MIXED DELIVERY PILOT

112 classrooms in private, faith-based, VPI & Head Start programs pilot the curriculum, professional development, coaching and assessment model developed by UVA in The New E3 School.

11 communities, over 1,500 infants, toddlers and preschoolers and 207 teachers impacted.

Leveraged state investment with private foundation funding from Obici Healthcare Foundation, The Alleghany Foundation and individual donors for the pilot.

LEGISLATIVE RESULTS – $6M IN TARGETED INVESTMENTS

In response to the JLARC findings, E3 develops a House-led 2018 budget package alongside policymakers designed to advance high quality early education and advocated for $6 million in targeted investments that include: VKRP – Mandate that the VKRP be implemented in all kindergarten classrooms in the fall and spring to show student growth and provide professional development for teachers and school divisions to help them use the data effectively to improve teaching and learning in the classroom.

Virginia Preschool Initiative (VPI) – UVA CASTL observes teacher-child interactions and works with the Virginia Department of Education to develop a plan to ensure that children in VPI programs receive high quality early education experiences. Professional development is provided to improve classroom instruction.

STREAMin3 Pilot – 112 faith-based, VPI, Head Start and private classrooms pilot the UVA CASTL designed STREAMin3 curriculum, professional development and coaching model developed in The New E3 School. A preschool version of the VKRP assesses the readiness of children.

Directs the VPI Joint Subcommittee to review JLARC’s recommendations related to Virginia’s Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS).

E3 in partnership with UVA CASTL, philanthropists and legislators develop policy initiatives designed to advance high-quality early education.

JLARC releases the report on early education entitled, “Improving Virginia’s Early Childhood Development Programs.” Recommendations from this study align with E3’s Policy Initiatives developed in partnership with UVA.

$900,000 state appropriation is allocated to UVA CASTL to continue implementation of VKRP across the state.

The House Rules Subcommittee (Patron: Delegate Chris Jones) and the Senate Rules Committee (Patron: Senator Tommy Norment) unanimously pass the JLARC study on early education and JLARC begins the one-year study.

21 school divisions participate in VKRP. 36% of students in participating divisions enter kindergarten lacking readiness skills in at least one of the learning domains of literacy, math, self-regulation or social skills.

$1m state appropriation is allocated to UVA CASTL for voluntary statewide implementation of the assessment.

E3 advocates for a JLARC study on early education to analyze the expenditures and outcomes of state-funded programs supporting children prenatal through age five.

The New E3 School opens as a privately funded, state-of-the-art, demonstration-model school focusing on the most important elements of high quality that improve outcomes for all children.

E3 in partnership with UVA Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) pilots The Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP), a comprehensive school readiness assessment. Results from a statewide representative sample define the readiness gap for the Virginia General Assembly:

• 34% of participating children arrive at kindergarten unprepared in at least one critical learning domain (literacy, math, self-regulation and social skills).
• Over 2,000 kindergarten students drawn from 100 classrooms and 41 schools within 16 districts across the eight superintendents’ regions of Virginia are assessed in the pilot.

E3 secures a $200,000 James M. Cox Foundation Challenge Grant for The New E3 School. The grant is matched $1:$1.

Jane Batten establishes a $6.5m Early Education Fund for The New E3 School at The Hampton roads Community Foundation.

The groundbreaking for The New E3 School in Park Place is attended by community leaders.

E3, in partnership with UVA CASTL, policymakers and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), launches a multi-phased approach to creating a statewide, comprehensive kindergarten assessment with the following goals:

• Research and select an assessment tool that can be used statewide to accurately assess readiness skills across a range of domains upon kindergarten entry.
• Pilot an assessment utilizing a $250,000 state appropriation matched $2:$1 with $500,000 in private funds, to create a snapshot of Virginia’s kindergarteners and clearly define the readiness gap.
• Implement a voluntary, statewide, comprehensive readiness assessment that includes the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS), Virginia’s current literacy screening tool, and use the data to inform public policy.
• E3, VDOE and policymakers commission a study led by researchers at UVA to test the validity of a widely-used commercial assessment, TS Gold. Recommendations lead to the development of a comprehensive readiness assessment for Virginia kindergarteners that is integrated with PALS and includes pre- and post-tests that have the capacity to show student growth from the beginning of kindergarten through third grade.

E3 raises $10m for the design, build and operations of The New E3 School, a model early education program to be located in the Park Place neighborhood of Norfolk.

UVA CASTL partners with E3 to develop a curriculum, professional development, and coaching model for the school that can be replicated by other programs statewide.

E3: Elevate Early Education, a statewide bipartisan, issue-advocacy organization is created by business, civic and philanthropic leaders to make early education a priority in Virginia. A 2011 study informs the development of E3’s three-pronged legislative strategy:

• Define the problem by working in partnership with UVA Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) to create The Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP), a statewide comprehensive kindergarten assessment.
• Advocate for a one-year Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission (JLARC) study to analyze and articulate funding expenditures, outcomes of state funded programs for children prenatal to age five and identify best practices.
• Prove to legislators that investment in early education leads to improved academic outcomes by creating The New E3 School.

E3 secures a $200,000 James M. Cox Foundation Challenge Grant for The New E3 School. The grant is matched $1:$1.

The legislative strategy results in three initiatives:

• Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP)
• Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission Study of Early Childhood Programs (JLARC)
• The New E3 School

A statewide political strategy committee is formed with leaders from the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, corporations and foundations across Virginia.

A study to understand where early education stands as a priority among Virginia’s legislators and stakeholders is conducted. This leads to the creation of E3: Elevate Early Education.

In 2005, The Hampton Roads Community Foundation, business, civic and philanthropic leaders created Smart Beginnings South Hampton Roads (SBSHR), a regional early education initiative.

SBSHR moved the meter from 1 in 5 kids not ready for kindergarten to 1 in 10 by raising awareness, advocating for public-private investment, building capacity and improving quality in the region.

The regional organization was dissolved when the leadership of SBSHR and investors recognized that work was needed at the state level to move policy and investment in the right direction for children.