Alabama ranks in the bottom five in the country of indices relating to how children fair in our state. Children living in poverty are particularly vulnerable. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Alabama has some of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country, below 70%, with 19% of its citizens living below the poverty line. The correlation between poverty and academic achievement is obvious.

First Teachers @ Home is working to change this statistic by starting at the very beginning: pre-k education in the home.

According to a 2011 report from the Pew Center on the States:

"Children who attend high-quality pre-K programs do better in school from the first day of kindergarten through their postsecondary years. Compared with peers who have not had pre-K, they have higher achievement test scores; they repeat grades far less often; they need less special education; they graduate from high school at substantially higher rates; and they are more likely to attend college."

Though pre-k attendance in Alabama is rising, it is only at 7%. Not to mention most of these programs cost money, and public ones (such as Head Start), have enormous waiting lists.

Unlike other education achievement programs that focus on schools, First Teachers @ Home focuses on the primary educators of children: their parents.

We believe that by educating parents on how to communicate with their children, how to read and write with their children, and how to instill self-confidence and high self-esteem in their children before they enter kindergarten, children can enter school ready to succeed despite the fact that they lack a formal pre-k education.

First Teachers @ Home has a number of paid and volunteer Parent Coaches who work with families in their homes or at centers weekly, to teach parents how to teach their kids the skills they need to succeed in school.

Our incredible staff establishes strong bonds with their families, and makes a significant contribution to changing the understanding of the families about what they need to teach their kids.

Each class is centered around our carefully structured curriculum, which utilizes the latest research in child development so that virtually every subset of skills a child would learn in pre-k, are taught to the parent so that they can effectively teach their children no matter what their economic circumstances.

First Teachers @ Home Programs are currently in Tarrant, Birmingham City, Fairfield, Tuscaloosa and Cullman and Walker Counties. This is not enough.

OUR GOAL FOR ALABAMA GIVES DAY:

TO RAISE $4,200 TO EXPAND OUR PROGRAM TO BESSEMER AND A BIRMINGHAM LIBRARY LOCATION.

For EVERY DOLLAR you contribute, a generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous, WILL MATCH THAT DOLLAR.

Help us, help the families of Alabama. Even the smallest contribution will help change the life of a child. And please, check out our Web site (www.first-teachers.org) for more information about our program.