With our Philanthropy Now podcast series, we explore trends in the world of philanthropy, social impact initiatives in Silicon Valley and beyond, and look at how SVCF promotes innovative philanthropic solutions to challenging problems.

A significant number of Silicon Valley students enter kindergarten not well-prepared or ready to learn, and when kids arrive behind, they stay behind. Erica Hays, preschool director and elementary school principal for the La Honda-Pescadero Unified School District, and Kelli Leavell with Making a Difference join SVCF's Christine Thorsteinson, PreK-3 program and research coordinator, to talk about early learning being vital to all future learning. Hays shares community-level examples from Pescadero.

Christine Thorsteinson, SVCF Center for Early Learning PreK–3 Program and Research Coordinator.

Kelli Leavell, Program Facilitator

Erica Hays, Preschool Director and Elementary School Principal

What you will learn:

• What PreK–3 means, and how this approach can create a strong foundation for future learning.
• Why it’s so important to focus on early learning.
• The reason early learning and elementary systems have historically been disconnected.
• What needs to be taken into account when building a PreK-3 system.
• The important aspects of a high-quality early learning environment.
• One of the best places to start when building PreK-3 learning communities.

Resources from this episode:

• Christine Thorsteinson
• Erica Hays
• Kelli Leavell
• Making a Difference: 10 Essential Steps to Building a PreK-3 System by Linda T. Sullivan-Dudzic, Donna K. Gearns, and Kelli J. Leavell

Did you enjoy the SVFC Philanthropy Now podcast? Never miss an episode by subscribing in iTunes, Stitcher or RSS.