JULY 2017 30 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM {charity spotlight} GIVING BACK Because of the rapid brain development that takes place in a child’s early years, young children who are exposed to early language and literacy experiences prove to be better readers later in life. Thirty-seven percent of children begin kindergarten without the skills necessary for a successful lifetime of learning, and it’s proven that the majority of children who get behind in school early in their academic career will stay behind, making them more likely to drop out of high school. Fortunately, Arizona is home to several great organizations that are working diligently to keep early literacy rates high, and ensure children are successful throughout their lives. BRINGING YOUNG BRAINS TO FULL POTENTIAL WITH EARLY LITERACY Jamie Killin | CONTRIBUTING WRITER HOW DESERT VOICES, EDUCARE ARIZONA, AND READ BETTER BE BETTER ARE HELPING

JULY 2017 FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM | 31 Desert Voices helps forge the way for literacy for young children suffering from hearing impairment, as Arizona’s only nonprofit private oral education school for deaf or hearing impaired children. They teach children language skills needed to speak and understand when others talk to them. “For 20 years Desert Voices has been giving children a voice,” said executive director DeeAnn Chapman. “We are the only Listening and Spoken Language school in Arizona and have grown from a small student population of 11 with classes in a rented church hall to a strong program serving almost 50 children and now located in two buildings in North Phoenix.” Desert Voices was founded by parents who believed that they should have a choice of educational opportunities for their children. The program focuses on teaching children to speak and develop language skills, so they’re able to communicate without sign language, lip reading or cued speech. The earlier children enter the program, the more effective it is, with some children as young as just eight-weeks-old learning to communicate with hearing aids or cochlear implants. The program sets children up to excel in kindergarten at a traditional school, making learning easier for the rest of their lives. “More than 350 kids have passed through our doors and gone on to traditional elementary schools, high school, college and graduate school—they all attribute their success in life to Desert Voices,” she said. DESERT VOICES There are currently 6 million children under the age of 5 living in poverty in the United States, and with research proving that children from disadvantaged families learn significantly fewer vocabulary words in their early years, the threat to their ability succeed in school is evident. Educare Arizona is helping to bridge this achievement gap, by serving as a model pre- school, where children from underprivileged backgrounds can gain access to top quality educational programming. “Educare recognizes that the first years of a child’s life are absolutely critical, and it’s high-quality programming, like the curriculum here at Educare Arizona that gives underserved children the opportunity to succeed throughout their life,” said Christine Nowaczyk, chairwoman of Educare Arizona. “Educare Arizona almost completely closes the achievement gap, and participants are proven to be more likely to succeed and stay in school.” Children from birth to five-years-old attend Educare’s all day, year-round programming, with curriculum that incorporates the arts, emphasizes social-emotional development EDUCARE ARIZONA