Education
Helping Children & Youth Achieve their Potential
Families engage in healthy relationships and promote youth development.
Why is it important?
Here in Portage County:
- prescription drug abuse is on the rise
- the wait time for mental health counselors is too long for at risk youth
- 77% increase in number of families using subsidized childcare
Children & youth achieve academic progress at appropriate levels.
Why is it important?
Children are more successful in school when they enter ready to learn. Investing in children early provides greater long-term returns and is less costly than retraining later in life.Kindergarten teachers estimate 1 in 3 children enter the classroom unprepared to meet the challenges of kindergarten.The poorest children enter kindergarten 1-2 years behind in language and other skills important to school success.
Here in Portage County:
- 16% of public school third graders score basic or minimal on third grade reading
- 27% of low income 3rd graders scored basic or minimal on third grade reading
- the percentage of high school students taking the ACT is less than state average in most districts
- 26% increase in the number of children receiving free or reduced price lunch
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