Star Jumps Forward
Star was a shy little girl with a severe speech delay. When her family enrolled in the NAZ, their Connector and Early Childhood Navigator worked with them to connect Star with a scholarship to a 4-star-rated early childhood center, Family Partnership.
At first, she was nervous about playing with the other children and never said a word. Her speech delay was identified early and she started onsite speech therapy. As time went on, Star came out of her shell. During circle time, she would name colors and shapes, when previously she had remained silent. “She’s one of the brightest kids in the room,” her teacher remarked, “She’s a star!”
Because of the early identification of Star’s speech delay, her brightness is coming through. She is off to a great start on the path to college and beyond!
In Star’s North Minneapolis neighborhood only 29% of children started kindergarten ready to learn in 2011. NAZ works to connect families like hers with Race to the Top scholarships to attend excellent early childhood programs through our partner organizations. This is a key first step in closing the achievement gap.