Sound investments in education yield big returns. Education can transform individual lives, lifting people out of poverty and setting their families on a more prosperous course within a single generation. Education also has societal benefits, improving public health and boosting economic growth.
Despite these advantages, the United States has slashed investment in education. The Trump administration has been the most egregious offender. This year it has gutted the Department of Education, attacked universities’ independence and cut research funding. But both major parties have allowed education to move to the back burner of American politics, and student achievement has declined in recent years.
For Americans who want to help fill the void, we have a suggestion. This holiday season, The New York Times Communities Fund has partnered with seven evidence-based charities that invest in education at critical junctures across people’s life spans. We urge readers to consider donating.
Three of the charities focus on children from low-income families, who are often shut out of educational opportunities during crucial early years:
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Child care is expensive for virtually every family, and care for children with special needs can be cost prohibitive. Catholic Charities of New York helps ensure that young children with developmental delays can attend specialized preschool programs, which offer small classes with extra support. The programs have helped children develop the ability to walk, speak and play with others.
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National literacy rates have dropped over the past decade. Forty percent of fourth graders are reading at a level below “basic,” the highest share since 2002. First Book provides free, diverse, high-quality books to low-income schools nationwide. These books get children excited about reading and help them become more engaged in class.
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Sometimes students need after-school enrichment to help them catch up. Children’s Aid runs after-school programs in poor neighborhoods, where elementary and middle school students take reading lessons, get homework help, and learn sports and dance. These programs alleviate strain on working families and help students rise to their full potential.
Other partner organizations support students in high school, a pivotal time for adolescents:
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Low-income teens often have fewer resources to help chart their next steps, and only around half of them enroll in college. OneGoal comes to high school classrooms to help, offering a multiyear program that helps students prepare for college or vocational training and navigate the financial aid process. The model works: Eighty percent of the program’s participants enroll in college.
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In rural Africa, the vast majority of girls from poor communities do not complete secondary school, and President Trump’s cuts to foreign aid make matters worse. CAMFED has an extraordinary history of helping African girls attend school by paying for their fees, books and uniforms and pairing them with alumni mentors. CAMFED graduates contribute to their communities as teachers, small business owners and other leadership roles.
Two of our partners work mostly with adult Americans — and adult education and care too often falls through the cracks in this country:
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The country needs more vocational programs that effectively prepare people for good-paying jobs. Per Scholas provides robust free training programs for tech careers, including in I.T. and cybersecurity. Their programs are designed to serve low-income people, and about half of their students have no higher than a high school diploma. The program has a long track record of success. Approximately 80 percent of graduates get full-time jobs in the year after graduation.
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Education continues to reap benefits for seniors, reducing dementia risk, extending life and providing older people with purpose and connection. UJA-Federation of New York works with the Selfhelp Virtual Senior Center to provide homebound older New Yorkers with a wide array of free online classes on topics ranging from music to history and coping with grief.
Quality educational opportunities should not be luxury goods available only to those who can pay for them. The Communities Fund, with readers’ support, strives to make the benefits of education accessible to all.
Learn more about the beneficiary organizations and donate here. To donate by check, please make your check payable to The New York Times Communities Fund and send it to P.O. Box 5193, New York, N.Y. 10087.
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