In his State of the Union address, President Obama vowed to “make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America,” and he traveled to Georgia today to discuss the need for early childhood education. Improving education is a priority at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) that we support through proven national service efforts that make a difference in the lives of millions of students.

Like the President, we know that the foundation for future success is laid early in life, and children can quickly fall behind if they are not prepared when they begin formal schooling. The consequences of ignoring early preparation linger throughout life, resulting in behavioral issues and reduced earning potential.

CNCS programs through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and the Social Innovation Fund are working across the country to help at-risk children avoid this fate. Our programs reach more than 3 million disadvantaged youths, keeping them engaged in education and improving academic achievement.

Starting Early

The importance of early education cannot be overstated. Studies have shown that students not reading at grade level by the time they reach the third grade will have difficulty keeping pace with their classmates. Many of our AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs are working to keep children on the path that leads to educational success.

• The Minnesota Reading Corps, an AmeriCorps program, uses 750 trained tutors in 500 Head Start centers, preschools and schools across the state to serve children age 3 to grade three to improve their literacy skills. Corps members monitor students' progress and work to prevent any who are struggling from falling through the cracks.
• Jumpstart, a nationwide early education organization, has 300 Corps members working on language and literacy skills with more than 700 preschool children living in low-income neighborhoods in and around Washington, DC. The program currently has 4,300 Corps members serving 11,000 children across the country.
• Through Senior Corps, our Foster Grandparents Program provides support and tutoring assistance in schools and childcare centers nationwide. At Georgia's Moody Air Force Base Child Development Center, nine Foster Grandparents volunteer to ensure that the children remain on track developmentally and academically, and continue to develop age-appropriate skills. These volunteers continue to serve the children while their parents are deployed.

Supporting Innovation

Early childhood literacy is the focus of several grantees of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), which supports nonprofits creating innovative, evidence-based programs with strong track records of performance. The SIF requires that each federal dollar granted be matched dollar-for-dollar by the grantmakers and again by the nonprofit organizations they select for grants, leveraging the federal investment multiple times for greater impact.

• The STRIVE Alliance in partnership with the Greater Twin Cities United Way is working to improve kindergarten readiness and third grade reading proficiency in Minneapolis.
• The Capital Area United Way is engaged in an effort to improve school readiness in the Greater Baton Rouge area by initiatives to increase parental engagement and access to quality child care and preschools.
• The GreenLight Fund targets low-income children and youth to close the achievement and opportunity gap in Boston, Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay area.

When it comes to early childhood education, we can pay now or we can pay later. The best way we can help our children is to build a solid foundation today to ensure that they will be prepared for the challenges they will face tomorrow.

AS220 Youth Studio, a Rhode Island program to help troubled youth get involved with the arts to bring positive outcomes in their lives and longstanding AmeriCorps VISTA project, was recognized as one of the nation’s 12 most outstanding arts programs for young people during a White House event hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama.
 

The formula to improve student achievement doesn’t start and end with the classroom -- talented teachers, committed parents, and engaged communities must also factor into the equation. Earlier this week, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and U.S. Department of Education recognized 31 organizations from across the nation for their pursuit of that goal in the Together for Tomorrow (TFT) Challenge.
 

You will hear the acronym STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) a lot whenever the discussion turns to improving education in the United States, and there is a good reason. Those disciplines are the cornerstones of the jobs that will keep America competitive in the near and distant future, and we have to get our students ready for that future now.
 

Imagine a child cooped up inside a stuffy apartment building on a beautiful, sunny day because there’s no safe place to play outside. She has only unhealthy processed and fast foods to eat. This image is far removed from the nostalgic picture of a childhood summer filled with fun family vacations and camps. But for too many children, it is a reality that directly affects how ready they will be to move ahead in the classroom come September.
 

Members of the group Game Changerz, also known as Sports Wives With Purpose, were in Washington recently, and we took the opportunity to ask them to talk about their favorite children’s books and the lessons they teach.
 

On Aug. 1, 13 teachers gathered at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for STEM Fest, a panel discussion highlighting effective practices in STEM-based service-learning. Convened by Youth Service America (YSA), STEM Fest celebrated the teachers' achievements in implementing YSA's STEMester of Service, a program that introduced extended service-learning to middle school students to learn science, technology, engineering, and math by addressing local environmental issues.
 

One of the major factors that contribute to children falling behind in reading is the learning loss that occurs during summer break. Low-income students, in particular, lose two to three months in reading achievement over the summer.
 

John Urbigkit has service in his blood. He has volunteered as an EMT medic, Boy Scout leader and even earned a Purple Heart for his service in the Korean War. But it is his role as a Senior Corps volunteer with the Southeast Wyoming Foster Grandparent Program that earned this community hero a distinguished honor that brought him to Washington, DC.
 

Today, I was thrilled to be with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan at Memorial Middle School in Orlando, FL to announce Together for Tomorrow, a new initiative to expand community engagement and citizen service to improve low-performing schools.
 

Today, too many young people in America are struggling. More than a million students drop out of high school each year and one in every three do not graduate on time. The problem is even more severe among African American and Latino youth, and those from low-income backgrounds.
 

The holidays are a time when the spirit of kindness and generosity abound. So what better time to recognize your school for its year-round commitment to community service?
 

Hispanic leaders in Colorado, like so many in the United States, are committed to addressing challenges and improving opportunities for their community. They want to work with the Federal government to understand policies, access information, leverage resources, and build collaboration that will help provide solutions to pressing concerns. In Denver, I saw this commitment first hand.
 

We've all seen them – in every color of the rainbow and spanning kindergarten through university, the ubiquitous bumper sticker: Proud Parent of an Honor Roll Student. Parents everywhere are eager to display their child's hard work to the world. But parents aren't the only ones who have an opportunity to display such a sticker.
 

Last week, the Corporation for National and Community Service joined the Department of Housing and Urban Development for an event called “Evidence of Success: Institutions of Higher Education Engaging Communities.” Together, the two agencies hosted a discussion on the role that institutions of higher education play in stimulating local economies.
 

When Joseph Aragon heads to school in the morning you won't find him toting a backpack stuffed with school supplies or carrying a lunchbox. Instead, this 64 year-old brings with him a lifetime of experience and knowledge to share with the students of Blanche Pope Elementary School on the Hawaiian Homestead land in Waimanalo.
 

My partners and I have started an off season youth football camp to better prepare the youth of our community in the fundamentals of the game and at the same time keep them occupied and off the streets.
 

I am currently serving my second AmeriCorps term with Youth Service Opportunities Project (YSOP) in Washington, DC. YSOP coordinates opportunities for youth to engage in meaningful service in Washington, DC and New York City.
 

I have taken the call of our President. I started an organization in my Community called ' Wheels for Education " . What we do is take students from the inner city of Philadelphia to College campuses.
 

Gary van der Wege, a member of the 2004 U.S. Paralympic Fencing Team, visited with the youth at the Boys & Girls Club of San Antonio on September 11th. Gary shared with the club his inspiring story of how he became a paralympian.
 

We have heard your engaging message across the Atlantic. Since President Obama and the First Lady have launched "United We Serve" in June, the students of the American School of Barcelona, Spain, from pre-school to high school, are responding enthusiastically to your call of service with volunteerism in our community to strengthen the world.
 

In 2005 I left a successful career in tv advertising to join the staff of A Child's Place of Charlotte, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping to erase the impact of homelessness on children and their education.
 

I am a mentor for the Y-FRIENDz Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program with YMCA Youth & Family Services in San Diego. For the past year and a half I have mentored a now 10-year-old girl who has both parents in and out of prison.
 

This halloween International Hand Foundation a non profit charity focusing on education would like introduce "Treat for Good", a halloween program that has kids reaching out for more than candy but for a life lesson in compassion for a child across the world.
 

It started with one woman’s belief that helping kids learn to read would make a difference. A flight attendant flying for one of the major airline carriers on 9/11, LeeAnn was prompted by the loss of friends and coworkers to examine her part in making the world a better place.
 

Twenty-five Foster Grandparent volunteers in Hamilton, Bradley and McMinn counties participated in an educational campaign to share basic character traits with students in their classrooms. 
 

Staff members from The Hitachi Foundation and Hitachi, Ltd. in Washington, DC spent the 9/11 Day of Service with Covenant House.
 

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began my internship at the Department of Education this summer. I was aware of the great work that the department was doing to improve the quality of education throughout the country but I curious to see what my role would be in this greater mission.
 

The Bronx Wash is a cement covered arroyo that is an uninviting eyesore in the Northwest Neighborhood in Tucson, Arizona. The goal of the Bronx Wash Mural Project is to encourage a sense of pride and ownership in the area, to reconnect the neighborhood and involve local residents in beautifying this shared space.
 

EducationWorks, which serves children and youth in urban neighborhoods, including Trenton in NJ, wanted to participate in a service event to recognize the new National Day of Service and Remembrance on 9/11/2009.