News

United Way Receives Early  Education Development Grant   

The El Paso community was one of six Texas communities selected for the implementation of a cutting-edge, population-based needs assessment tool. The Early Development Instrument (EDI) is a comprehensive, community-level measure of early development and school readiness for young children.

This effort is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities; and the Texas Learning Council.  "This grant will allow our United Way to create long term, sustainable systems to help El Paso youth be successful in school," said Jason Brewer, Vice President of Marketing and Community Building, United Way of El Paso County.

United Way will partner with the El Paso and Socorro Independent School Districts to administer the instrument to every kindergarten student within each of the two districts. 

The tool measures the five key domains identified by the National Educational Goals Panel as critical to the assessment of school readiness:

• Physical Health and Well-being
• Social Competence
• Emotional Maturity
• Language and Cognitive Skill Development
• Communication Skills and General Knowledge

For more information on the EDI Grant contact Jason Brewer at 533-2434 X236.