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.

The cliché is that opposites attract, but we’ve learned that some members of our national service family found enough in common to build relationships that led all the way to the altar. These are their stories.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.gov blog. In this series, we showcase articles that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
 

The blizzard that whacked the Northeast last weekend paralyzed the hardest-hit areas, and created a gigantic task for workers mobilized to clear roads and restore electricity to areas that lost power. The storm is a reminder that this season can pack a punch, and we need to be prepared to handle winter’s wrath.
 

The chance to get in on the ground floor and build something new attracted recent college grad Ben Barron to the FEMA Corps AmeriCorps NCCC unit. Last fall his class went to work with the Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery effort in New York, where he learned a lot about himself and the strength of the human spirit.
 

A new video and photos from the National Day of Service and Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend of Service show the enthusiasm of people around the nation as they used the time to volunteer during the holiday weekend.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.gov blog. In this series, we showcase articles that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
 

As the big game between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers approaches this Sunday, the mayors from those cities are taking a different approach to the traditional, friendly wager. This year, the focus will be on volunteering and community service.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.gov blog. In this series, we showcase articles that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service programs. This week, we’re focusing on some of the great stories about the National Day of Service and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service from around the nation.
 

This weekend was a major moment for national service, and I want to share some of the many highlights that inspired me.
 

Volunteers packed the D.C. Armory in Washington, DC, on Jan. 19, 2013, to participate in Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service and National Day of Service activities. Participants assembled 100,000 care kits for Operation Gratitude and wrote letters to U.S. soldiers during the event. Watch this blog for more National Day of Service photos from around the nation.
 

On April 9, mayors across the country will highlight the impact of national service in their cities and thank the individuals who serve during the first-ever Mayors Day of Recognition for National Service. The initiative will be led by U.S. Conference of Mayors President and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Cities of Service, and other organizations.
 

Americans from all 50 states will join thousands of organizations and commit to service this weekend as the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service coincides with the 57th Presidential Inaugural and National Day of Service.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.gov blog. In this series, we showcase articles that feature national service and Corporation for National and Community Service programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
 

We continue to track news coverage of the role national service participants have played in the Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery effort for the last few months. This week, our collection of stories includes one about two AmeriCorps members who spent their holiday away from home, helping people in New York and New Jersey recover from the storm.
 

This week, nearly 100 AmeriCorps members boarded planes from Sacramento, CA, to New Jersey and New York where they will help residents affected by Hurricane Sandy rebuild homes, remove debris, and manage volunteers. Southwest Airlines’ decision to donate travel to these young leaders made this deployment possible.
 

Lt. Brandon Williams, part-time soldier and full-time AmeriCorps member, currently serves in Baltimore, MD, with one of Catholic Charities’ member programs, Project SERVE. Each day, Lt. Williams arrives at Our Daily Bread, Catholic Charities’ hot meal center, and teaches new volunteers the significance of feeding those who cannot afford to feed themselves. Equally importantly, he teaches his volunteers to respect each man and woman that comes through the door. The time the hungry spend in the safety and warmth of Our Daily Bread’s walls may be the only time throughout the day they are treated with respect at all.
 

On Jan. 21, 2013, our nation will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day), a national holiday during which we honor the legacy of the civil rights leader Dr. King through a day of service and volunteering.
 

The Service News Digest is a regular feature on the Serve.gov blog. In this series, we showcase news highlights that feature national service, and Corporation for National and Community Service programs. Take a look at some of the great stories that had people talking recently.
 

Each new year draws millions to make resolutions designed to change their lives. And while the focus on self-improvement is fine, the arrival of National Mentoring Month gives us an opportunity to recognize men and women who channel their energy to helping and inspiring young people toward a brighter future.
 

Last month, Corporation for National and Community Service staff visited several sites in New York and New Jersey where national service members were helping with the Hurricane Sandy recovery effort. Today, we'd like to share two of the videos from that trip.
 

As an AmeriCorps VISTA at Habitat for Humanity International, I spend most of my days planning for events, attending meetings for upcoming projects, and supporting the wonderful and exciting things my fellow Habitaters (coworkers) are doing. Recently, I had an opportunity to see the impact Habitat makes firsthand as we led a project to help homeowners affected by Hurricane Sandy.
 

We’ve been tracking news coverage of the role our national service participants have played in the Hurricane Sandy relief and recovery effort for the last few months. Here are some of the latest stories, including two personal reflections by AmeriCorps members.
 

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to live a different experience than most. My parents were treasure hunters and I spent a majority of my childhood on their boat traveling in the Bahamas. Looking back, I almost feel as if I took those years a bit for granted; I never would have thought that the very boat I grew up on would be lifted and dropped in someone else’s yard. But when Hurricane George came through in 1998, that’s what happened. Little did I know, 14 years later, I would be on the other side of disaster recovery.
 

Millions of Americans will be making the journey to their respective hometowns this weekend to celebrate the holidays with friends and family. Today and tomorrow, a 26-member AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) team will leave Denver, CO, for the East Coast to spend their holidays helping families recover from Hurricane Sandy.
 

In the spirit of the season, members of our AmeriCorps team offer a national service variation on “The 12 Days of Christmas.” So if everyone is ready, let’s sing along with AmeriCorps -- and a-one, and a-two ...
 

I am Jeffrey D. Richardson, MSW. I am proud to be a social worker, super proud to be an AmeriCorps Alum, and honored to be stepping in the role as Executive Director of Serve DC – The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism and the District of Columbia Commission on National and Community Service.
 

I am no stranger to the great goals and aspirations of Campus Compact. Years ago when Campus Compact got started, I had the opportunity to work with the leadership as the program was developing. While I was the state director for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) office in Pennsylvania, I worked closely with the Pennsylvania Campus Compact VISTA project, and I was able to watch as the Maryland Campus Compact was launched and grew to become the Maryland-DC Campus Compact.
 

When AmeriCorps NCCC member Melissa Ettman was assigned to lead a Sacramento, CA-based team to help with the Hurricane Sandy cleanup in New York and New Jersey, she was familiar with many of the areas affected by the storm. In fact, her 87-year-old grandmother on Long Island was affected by the hurricane and had to live without electricity for a week.
 

Civic leaders, community groups, and elected officials joined the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) today for a dedication of the new AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) Atlantic Region Campus in the former Sacred Heart of Mary School of Baltimore, MD.