This fund supports early childhood education opportunities for Lake County youth.

Today, it is even more imperative that all children have high-quality early education experiences for their future success. That is why Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s community foundation, supports early childhood programming for Lake County’s children.

Why is this so important?

According to FSSA:

• 90 percent of a child’s brain development occurs before the age of 5.
• Children in poverty face academic and social opportunity gaps, including a lack of early exposure to language, reading and math.
• Children from families with lower income typically start school up to a year and a half behind their peers. The average fourth-grader growing up in poverty already is three grade levels behind, and only half will graduate from high school.
• This achievement gap negatively impacts the local workforce and economic development.

Numerous research studies demonstrate that this gap is lessened by providing high-quality, early learning environments for children who are striving to learn and develop but face systemic barriers. There are opportunities for you to help our children succeed academically.

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