2025 United Way of Greater Lorain County Snapshot: Education
Mission
OberlinKids is a community collaborative working together to develop equitable solutions to ensure all children entering the Oberlin City School District are healthy and ready to learn.
Why Kindergarten Readiness?
Kindergarten Readiness is a strong indicator of future success:
National research shows that every dollar invested in early education yields a 13x return on investment.
When students are behind in kindergarten, statistics show that they rarely catch up.
In Oberlin, when the collaborative was founded (2014), there was higher poverty and lower kindergarten readiness than the county average.
Wins
Screened 70.3% of the pre-kindergarten census population using the Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), exceeding the collaborative's annual target.
Achieved a kindergarten readiness rate of 37.8% on the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA), outperforming the Ohio statewide average of 36.5%.
Leveraged $78,000 in additional funding to expand partnerships and programming opportunities for Oberlin families.
Awarded $17,578 in preschool scholarships, increasing access to early learning opportunities for children and families.
Strengthened alignment and collaboration with Oberlin City Schools to better serve families and expand community reach.
Core Activities
Recorded 880 total sign-ins to the Community Classroom, demonstrating continued family engagement.
Distributed 675 literacy kits during the year, providing a total of 2,309 books to children and families.
Engaged 27 families who returned to the Community Classroom more than once, indicating repeat participation and relationship-building.
Lessons Learned
Community partners are eager to participate in planning and collaborative discussions but require additional structure and guidance to engage effectively.
Literacy kit distribution has grown to approximately 75 kits per month, creating capacity challenges and highlighting the need for more sustainable processes.
Additional outreach is needed to reach children and families outside the traditional Oberlin City Schools pipeline, particularly those attending centers not currently connected to OberlinKids.
Plans for Next Year
Develop and establish signature community events, including a dedicated health-focused event to complement existing programming.
Explore volunteer engagement opportunities and partnerships such as Collect-Sort-Deliver to support literacy kit assembly and distribution.
Launch partner-sponsored playgroups through monthly Friday Fun Day events in the Community Classroom to increase family engagement and strengthen partner involvement.
Continue expanding outreach efforts to connect with families and early childhood providers not currently engaged with the collaborative, ensuring more children enter school ready to learn.
