9th Annual A Chocolate Affair Danny and Gabriel Talk about it!
Listen to his interview here!
Join us on Feburary18th for our 9th Annual A Chocolate Affair fundraiser that benefits the early childhood education programs at United Way of Kern County. Last year, we brought in over $65,000, to continue our programs and services, which allowed us to distribute over 30,000 brand-new books to children in Kern County.
Each tickets includes champagne, a meal, and chocolate desserts! There will be live music, a slient & live auction, a photo booth, and cocktails!
We hope to raise even more this year, and we hope to see you there!
The Why Behind A Chocolate Affair
United Way of Kern County understands that the foundation for the ability to read begins at birth or even before. Listening to and interacting with parents/caregivers are the first steps to success. The steps continue through preschool and up to the third grade. This is because it is at this time that children make the important transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” Those who are unable to read proficiently by the third or fourth grade are at a much higher risk of failing and ultimately dropping out of school. In Kern County, just 36 percent of third graders score “proficient” or above on state standardized reading tests—about 9 percent less than the state average. Our county’s high school dropout rate is 16 percent. We have learned that to ensure kids are reading proficiently at third grade, they must be on track when they enter kindergarten.
Your contributions will go towards United Way of Kern County’s initiatives that focus to improve early childhood literacy as a key component in its efforts to improve education through the Born Learning© Initiative, 10 station, bilingual circuit course with learning activities at each station in parks around Kern County, and the Raising a Reader Program, a preschool classroom for five years where children are exposed to 100 different titles, have guest readers, and special events.
