Overview

Of the four million American children who start school each year, as many as one-third are unprepared to learn. Many never catch up. The reasons are complex, but clearly the multitude of systems that should be supporting young children too often fail in that mission – from family to schools to government. SPARK seeks permanent improvement in the systems that affect children’s learning.

The SPARK initiative of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is designed to unite communities so that all children can be successful before and after they enter school. SPARK fosters partnerships of selected communities, schools, state agencies and families to ensure that they work together effectively for the early learning of children. With the initiative serving as a catalyst or “spark,” the goal is to ensure that vulnerable children are ready for school and that schools are ready for children.

The initiative is now at the midway point and has grantees in eight locations: District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina and Ohio.

SPARK is based on four key principles:

1. Strong partnerships among families, providers, community organizations and ready schools ensure that all children can learn and succeed in school.
2. Quality is a critical element of a child’s early learning, from birth through the early years of school.
3. Parents and families at home and working with early-care providers are critical to ensuring that children succeed in school.
4. School leaders and teachers, working with the community’s support, can create smooth transitions from early-learning settings so that children can succeed in school.

Nine Pathways to Ready Schools	Report on the Development of a National Ready Schools Action Group	2006 Elections Impact Analysis: Emerging Shifts and Opportunities on Policies Supporting Families and Children to Age 8