Zero to Five Funders Collaborative

The Zero To Five Funders’ Collaborative identified a need for school-readiness in low-income areas, and specifically in the Bachman Lake Community. To help make a positive impact, 27 foundations and civic organizations have come together to form the Zero to FiveFunders' Collaborative. Together, we have combine our efforts to make a bigger impact than any one organization could individually. Together, our goal is to change our children’s futures, one child at a time.

The mission is important: we want ensure that children are physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually ready for school by age 5 through measureable progress. We fund programs that equip, encourage and support parents and caregivers to prepare children for success in school, starting in kindergarten — and lasting a lifetime.  

The Research is Clear

Research shows a definite connection between early child development, early parent-child interaction, and a child’s readiness for kindergarten. By collaborating and funding an early childhood/school readiness initiative, The Zero to Five Funders' Collaborative hopes to achieve greater outcomes than it could by funding programs individually.

Vocabulary: The Language of Success

The Zero to Five Funders’ Collaborative has identified specific markers of success that we want to measure to document improvement. One marker is the vocabulary level of low-income children entering Kindergarten in DISD, as this is a key predictor of school readiness and future success.

Landmark research from Hart and Risley (1995) tells us that children from welfare families hear 13 million words by age 4. While that may sound extensive, children of professional families hear more than 48 million words. Vocabulary is one of the best predictors of success in school. A stunning 5 year gap in reading level emerges by age 13 between these two groups.

Our goal is support programs that improve the vocabulary of children entering Kindergarten, so they can avoid cumulative weaknesses in oral language and reading and achieve greater potential for on-going academic success.

Four Partner Agencies

After issuing a request for proposals and undertaking a thorough vetting process, the Collaborative chose to fund four agencies to serve the Bachman Lake community over a five-year period from August 2009 - June 2014:

     AVANCE - Baby University Project

     Catholic Charities - Together We Learn Project

     The Concilio - Parents as Leaders Project

     East Dallas Community Schools - Bachman Lake Community School

During the first two years of the initiative (July 2009 - June 2011), these four agencies have provided direct services to a total of 1,648 children and 1,651 parents. Over the five-year period, the agencies will provide direct services to at least 4,200 parents and more than 5,200 children.

Members of the Collaborative

(listed in chronological order)