Learn to Earn Dayton Receives $3.6 Million Investment from StriveTogether
Funding Will Fuel Work to Improve Economic Mobility for Youth in Dayton
Dayton, Ohio — Learn to Earn Dayton has received a $3.6 million investment from StriveTogether to increase the number of young people on the path to economic mobility by 2030.
As a member of the StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network, Learn to Earn Dayton is part of a national movement to help every child succeed in school and in life, regardless of race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance. Learn to Earn Dayton is one of only six communities across the nation to receive the four-year “Transform Impact” investment.
“StriveTogether's investment in Learn to Earn Dayton reflects our shared commitment to improve cradle-to-career outcomes in Montgomery County,” said Bridget Jancarz, vice president of network impact at StriveTogether. “Learn to Earn Dayton has an impactful history of transforming systems to improve the lives of young people and is poised to scale that impact. By empowering local communities with data, policy and convening capacity, Learn to Earn Dayton is helping to create a sustainable impact to put more young people on a path to economic mobility.”
Learn to Earn Dayton works to increase the region’s intellectual capital and reduce disparities in educational outcomes through collective impact collaboration and strategic leveraging of data and policy. Learn to Earn Dayton and its partners are working to improve outcomes at each of the milestones that lead to economic mobility: kindergarten readiness, early grade reading, middle grade math, high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, postsecondary completion and employment.
Economic mobility in the United States is declining. According to Opportunity Insights, only half of children grow up to earn more than their parents — and for young people experiencing poverty and young people of color, these outcomes are often worse.
The work funded by this StriveTogether investment in Learn to Earn Dayton will focus on advancing outcomes for early grade literacy, middle grade math competency, and postsecondary enrollment across Montgomery County. In addition to these three priority areas, Learn to Earn Dayton will continue to work with Preschool Promise to improve kindergarten readiness.
“Learn to Earn Dayton has been a proud member of the StriveTogether national network, leveraging their Theory of Action (™) since our inception,” said Learn to Earn Dayton CEO Stacy Schweikhart. “Last year, Learn to Earn Dayton received StriveTogether’s ‘Systems Transformation’ designation – a recognition of our success dramatically improving student outcomes, particularly in targeted areas of Montgomery County. This new investment will allow us to build momentum toward an investable plan that will provide an outline of the strategies and resources we need to put all Montgomery County students on the path to economic mobility through educational success.”
Learn to Earn Dayton’s vision for this investment is bold: to put at least 5,500 more young people in Montgomery County on a path to economic mobility by 2030. In early 2025, we will release an investable plan that will be a catalyst for new partnerships and new shared resourcing for the strategic priorities in the plan.
“It is time to align investments in young people around the evidence-based strategies that we know are effective at putting them on a path to economic mobility,” said Schweikhart. “It will take our entire community, from philanthropy to corporate foundations to government agencies and generous individuals, to give all of our young people access to the individualized support and opportunities they deserve.”
Learn more about the work of Learn to Earn Dayton at learntoearndayton.org.
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About Learn to Earn Dayton
Learn to Earn Dayton is the regional cradle-to-career intermediary organization, leveraging data, policy, and partnerships to improve student outcomes along the educational continuum. Learn to Earn Dayton serves the community as a convener, collaborator, innovator, and incubator, centering youth voices and driving for solutions to improve our local communities.
About StriveTogether
StriveTogether is a national movement with a clear purpose: to help every child succeed in school and in life from cradle to career, regardless of race, ethnicity, zip code or circumstance. The Cradle to Career Network impacts the lives of 14 million youth – including more than 8 million children of color and 5 million children experiencing poverty. Learn more at StriveTogether.org.
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