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Impact Stories

Early Childhood Development

Universal Pre-K Positions Preschoolers For Academic Success

One Saturday morning last August, Shay Wilson turned on the radio and heard an interview that may end up changing the course of her four-year-old granddaughter’s life. The interview was about the profound impact that attending Pre-K can make on a child’s development.

“I remember clearly, Dr. Eva Thomas, Executive Director of Early Childhood Education for Rochester City School District (RCSD), and Brian Lewis, Executive Director for ROC the Future Alliance, were explaining that children don’t need to be potty trained to attend Pre-K,” said Wilson.

“They actually have professionals to help potty train your child. I said, ‘Oh, my God, this is exactly what we need!”

Wilson immediately called the radio station and spoke to Dr. Thomas.

Within a few days, the family was filling out paperwork to enroll Shay’s granddaughter in Pre-K. The child’s mother was discouraged by how difficult it was to find resources to support her daughter, who is autistic. The program has helped her with speech so she can communicate and learn better.

“A lot of people are embarrassed about asking for help,” added Wilson. “Hearing Dr. Thomas and Mr. Lewis on the radio, it was like they were welcoming us with open arms. That gave us hope.”

Freedom Scholars Uses Culturally Responsive Methods to Increase Early Childhood Literacy

Freedom Scholars Learning Center (FSLC) provides after school and summer enrichment programs including an integrated reading curriculum to improve early grade literacy for Rochester youth.

Their literacy intervention program is called Word RICH (Reading Intervention through Cultural Heritage). It incorporates linguistic, rhythmic, kinesthetic (learning through a physical activity), multimedia, and cultural knowledge-based approaches to help keep students highly engaged in developing their reading abilities.

“Our integrated reading curriculum allows instructors to design lesson plans that are activity oriented instead of the traditional and outdated ways of teaching literacy,” said Freedom Scholars Learning Center Executive Director Jeremy Smith. “A lot of kids are kinesthetic learners and our integrated reading curriculum caters to this by providing physical activities, allowing them to move around. To improve reading comprehension, we use drums to beat out syllables and play board games with diverse characters that look like our students. The kids are having so much fun, they don’t even know they’re reading.”

Close-Knit Community Creates Winning Environment at Vertus

Vertus High School is a non-profit, public charter school serving young men in grades 9-12. Since opening in 2014, faculty and staff have focused on academic success and character development by building strong relationships with students and their families. Each student is part of a small learning team of 12-16 individuals led by a full-time mentor and guide called a Preceptor. “Preceptors have our students’ backs 24/7/365,” said Vertus CEO Julie Locey. “They create a safe and supportive environment where each student has an adult who is responsible for his success.”

2024 Vertus graduate Reggie Pough benefited greatly from this learning environment, which he describes as “life-changing.”

“I had several Preceptors in my four years at Vertus but there was one who stood out—Mr. Geno Allport. He was always there, always listening, always such a good person and role model. You can’t teach that. It was like having a second father. I have to thank Vertus for putting me on a path to do big things with my life.” Pough enrolled at Erie Community College last fall.

Vertus graduation rates—79% in 2024 and 86% in 2023—are one indicator that their approach is working. Much of Vertus’ success can also be credited to their laser-like focus on ensuring regular attendance. “We’ve created a system where we ‘wrap our arms around’ the student and their family and provide whatever resources we can to remove barriers so that every student can receive a quality education,” explained Locey.

Vertus was one of 10 high schools that participated in empathy interviews hosted by ROC the Future Alliance’s High School Graduation Outcome Team (HSGOT). Our empathy interviews are small-group discussions with public and charter school administrators which provide a space to share ideas, challenges, and best practices in order to promote “High School Success.”