At United Way of Southeast Mississippi, expanding education is part of our mission. We believe the future success of an individual starts with a quality education.
Children who enter kindergarten unprepared, as well as those who are chronically absent, are less likely to read at grade level by the third grade and in effect, are less likely to succeed academically. To help children succeed we focus on:
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Kindergarten Readiness | Encourage early brain development and skill-building to ensure every child enters school ready to learn.
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Grade-Level Appropriateness | Prepare every student, especially those from low-income families, to be able to read on grade-level by third grade.
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Quality Education Services | Provide quality education services for children with special needs.
Our education initiatives: 
- Grade-Level Reading Campaign Membership
- Attendance Awareness
- Born Learning Trails
- Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
If you would like to participate in helping us expand educational opportunities call us at 601-545-7141 or email info@unitedwaysems.org.
Our education partners:
Children’s Center for Communication and Development
The Children’s Center at Southern Miss provides early childhood education and family support for infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers who have communication and developmental disabilities.
DuBard School for Language Disorders
This specialized school serves children with severe language-speech disorders, including development aphasia and childhood apraxia of speech, deafness and hearing impairments, as well as those with the written language disorder of dyslexia.
AMPACT Reading Corps, funded through grants hosted by the Pinebelt Foundation, provides tutors at Hattiesburg Public School District elementary schools giving personalized assistance to students, ensuring they are gaining the literacy skills needed to read on grade level.
Additional Education Partners
United Way of Southeast Mississippi supports other education programs as well, such as Excel By 5, local Pre-K Collaboratives, Read Across America Day, and Area Development Partnership Education Initiatives.