The Community’s Challenge:

More than half of Montgomery County children—54%—enter school not “kindergarten-ready,” according to statewide benchmarks. Children of lower socioeconomic status or with low family-school engagement are disproportionately represented in this group. Statistically, many of these children who start out behind will struggle to close the gap with their peers throughout their entire educational journey. 

ETA’s Intergenerational Solution:

We increase children’s skills and school readiness, strengthen families’ knowledge and engagement in their children’s education, and marshal the time and skills of talented older adults to benefit the entire community long-term.

We match our age 50+ volunteers 1:1 with pre-K/Head Start children and families…

• building trusted relationships over two school years of weekly contact
• increasing family-school engagement
• practicing school-readiness skills
• empowering caregivers with the tools they need to be long-term advocates for their children’s education

Participating families are referred to ETA by our partner schools and receive

• Extensive personalized outreach and support from ETA staff and volunteers
• A laptop computer, along with bilingual tech support
• A large collection of books and educational materials to keep, along with personalized support and ideas on using them at home
• Weekly personalized enrichment sessions for the child
• Weekly check-ins with the volunteer and the parent/caregiver to ask questions, share information, and get support
• Group celebrations and activities for the whole family

The Story of Ana & Helen 

• Helen had introduced Ana and her family to the local library—now Ana has a library card and enjoys checking out books!
• The family was comfortable using the tools ETA has provided: a Chromebook as well as a collection of books and educational toys, all to keep.
• Ana’s mom felt comfortable confiding in Helen that she was nervous about communicating with the school—and with Helen’s support, she emailed Ana’s teacher for the first time.
• Ana blossomed from a shy 4-year-old who didn’t speak much in Spanish or English to a talkative kindergartner with strong language skills—and a love for the “Oinkie,” the chatterbox pig puppet Helen “invites” to their session.

Ana’s mom told us she was thrilled with the program and how far Ana has come. “My goal all along was to have Ana speaking [English] confidently. We are so excited that she went to kindergarten so well-prepared.”

Interested in volunteering?
Click below and fill out our volunteer application to learn more!

As a volunteer, you will:

• Get training, ideas, and regular support from ETA staff and your peer group of volunteers.
• Check in weekly by Zoom with your student, at a mutually convenient time, to talk, read, and get to know each other.
• Check in periodically with the student’s parents/caregiver, to hear their goals for their child, to strategize together on advocating for the child, and to share information and community resources.

Commitment is 1.5-2 hours per week for 18 months (less in the summer months). This includes time spent with your student as well as time spent in check-in meetings with ETA staff and your peer volunteer group.

Sources: Readiness Matters: 2023-2024 Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Report, Maryland State Department of Education