Chicano Latino Affairs Council Capstone Harnessing the Power of Collective Impact to Address Kindergarten Readiness

Abstract

There is fierce competition across the country to adequately fund a concentrated effort to engage children in formal learning opportunities from birth to 5 years of age. Those most in need, children from low-income and/or minority families, suffer the greatest gap in achievement with their peers who often have greater wealth and family resources, yet they are least able to access what they need to start school ready to learn. The consequences of this disparity are particularly prevalent in Minnesota, which has been identified by the U.S. Department of Education as having one of the worst achievement gaps in the nation