YMCA Early Learning Readiness

Dorchester County, MD

YMCA Early Learning Readiness Program Summary

Establishing a multi-lateral partnership to help the YMCA of the Chesapeake bring in the Early Learning Readiness Program to Dorchester County, MD

  • Providing multi-year pilot grant to fund the cost of (and bring to Dorchester County) the evidence-based YMCA ELRP program
  • Working with New Beginnings residential complex to secure a suitable community center location to run the program
  • Assisting with the development and measurement of performance indicators to ensure positive outcomes
  • Will transition program funding to the YMCA in Year 4 to ensure sustainability
John & Janice Wyatt Foundation
John & Janice Wyatt Foundation
John & Janice Wyatt Foundation

Measures of Performance

For more information, please see Data Analysis section at the bottom of the page

Data Analysis

  • Goal: To pilot the YMCA’s Early Learning Readiness Program (ELRP) within an economically disadvantaged housing community.
  • The ELRP program is designed to bring families/caregivers and their children, birth to 5, into a community-based facility in partnership with the YMCA. The YMCA then offers these families parent/caregiver training and developmental work with their children to help prepare for school and improve social emotional learning.
  • The program is offered half-days, twice per week during the school year.
  • The program seeks to bring in a total of 12 families/children, with most or all of them economically disadvantaged.
  • At the close of the second year, the program is currently measuring several output measures:
  1. Our goal is 12 families. As of December 2022, we have 13, showing steady growth in numbers of the past few months, earning a “green” score.
  2. To ensure these families attend regularly, we are working to ensure each student attends 85% of the time. As of December, we have a 70% attendance rate (grown from the original 42% attendance), but earning a “yellow’ score.
  3. We are seeking to have at least 50% of our students reaching the benchmark cutoff scores for 3 out of 5 measures of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3). As of December 2022, 75% of our children are at or above the benchmark, earning a “green” health score.
  4. We are also seeking to have 100% of families identified with a developmental challenge to receive a referral for 3rd party support. As of December 2022, we achieved 100% receiving the referral, earning a “green.”
  • By summer 2023, we will look to measure improved kindergarten readiness for children that have been in the ELR program for a full year to test whether or not children attending the ELRP regularly are more kindergarten-ready than children from the same facility that did not participate in the program.
  • By summer 2023, we will administer and score a qualitative satisfaction survey – with a goal of 80% satisfaction –  for our families that will help inform us of ways to improve the program to get even better results.