What is SPARK?
The SPARK initiative of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation seeks to create a seamless transition into school for vulnerable children ages 3 to 8. Standing for “Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids”, SPARK supports partnerships of selected communities, schools, state agencies, and families to ensure that they work together effectively for children’s early learning. With the initiative serving as a catalyst or “spark”, the goal is to ensure that vulnerable children are ready for schools and schools are ready for children.
Of the four million American children who start school each year, as many as one-third enter school behind. Many never catch up. The reasons for this are complex, but clearly the multitude of systems - from family to schools to government - that should be supporting young children are failing to do so. SPARK seeks to permanently improve systems that affect children’s learning. The SPARK strategy is based upon the belief that the stronger and more effective the alignment among various partners, the greater the learning outcomes for children.
SPARK grantees include partnerships of communities, parents, schools, state agencies, and child advocacy groups in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. In addition to local and statewide activities, the SPARK initiative includes national strategies in evaluation, communications, and policy education designed to gauge the impact of SPARK on children, share lessons and successes, and sustain and replicate best practices.
SPARK helps young children make smooth transitions to school by supporting partnerships between parents, schools, early childhood education providers, and communities.