Success by
Third Grade
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Success by Third Grade is a collective impact movement in Franklin County, Ohio.
In our role as the backbone agency, United Way of Central Ohio helps coordinate partners and leverage our multi-sector network to move the work forward. This dashboard communicates the ongoing work of Success by Third Grade and our progress. We invite you to explore, learn and take part in the movement to ensure that every child in Franklin County is on a pathway to success once they leave third grade.
We know there are many ways to measure success. Our focus is on improving early literacy. In that context, we look at indicators of Academic Achievement and indicators of Quality of Life. Our north star is increasing the percentage of students reading proficiently in the third grade English Language Arts (ELA) state test. As in many communities, there are deep disparities in reading proficiency across income, race and ethnicity in Franklin County. That’s why we center equity in our work and focus on reducing gaps in proficiency between the county’s lower performing and higher performing school districts.
Progress to date
Academic Achievement
Predictors of Third Grade Reading
Kindergarten readiness and chronic absenteeism rates are predictive of later academic outcomes, including third grade reading. We monitor these as part of the Academic Achievement indicators, and work closely with school districts and community partners on these priority areas.
Kindergarten Readiness
Click here to learn what schools and community partners are doing to ensure that kindergarteners are ready for school. The following graphic shows Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) trends. (Source: https://reports.education.ohio.gov/overview)
Chronic Absenteeism
Click here to learn what schools and community partners are doing to reduce chronic absenteeism. The following graphic shows chronic absenteeism rates for participating districts (combined), with Franklin County rates as a reference line. Click here for definition of chronic absenteeism and more information.
Quality of Life
Here are just several of our nonprofit partners working in the Quality of Life areas of Family Stability, Food Security, and Health and Wellness. For a complete list of partners helping to move the needle on both Academic Achievement and Quality of Life, go to our Funded Partners list.
Family Stability
Siemer Institute : Helping families remain in their homes
Success by Third Grade has expanded United Way’s relationship with the Siemer Institute to address challenges related housing stability. The graphic below shows the highest concentration of eviction filings overlap with participating Success by Third Grade districts. Research tells us that children who live in a stable home environment with fewer disruptive moves perform better in school.
Tax Time
Starting in 2007, Tax Time provided low- to middle-income households with free tax assistance services and connections to financial resources through a coalition of nonprofits, businesses and government. In that time, Tax Time volunteers prepared over 189,000 returns, returned nearly $200 million in refunds and saved clients $40.2 million in tax preparation fees. In 2026, United Way of Central Ohio is partnering with Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative to offer the same, FREE tax help at more than 20 sites across Franklin County. Learn more at 614FileFree.org
Food Security
Success by Third Grade collaborates with districts, agencies and nonprofits to fight childhood hunger. We know that hunger can directly impact a student’s attendance, school readiness, and test scores. Across participating districts, food security challenges and responses vary. Some partner agencies provide meals before, during and after school, while others send weekend backpack meal kits home with children to make sure they don’t have to go hungry on non-school days.
Click here to learn more about the state of childhood food security in central Ohio.
Health and Wellness
We understand that nonacademic barriers are closely related to a student’s academic success. That is why United Way of Central Ohio is financially supporting over 30 local nonprofits that address childhood health and wellness as part of Success by Third Grade program investment. These programs, aimed at improving social-emotional, mental, behavioral and overall physical health of students and families, are making a difference. In our list of Partners below, click on “Improved mental and behavioral health” or “Improved social-emotional health/learning” in the list of Outcomes to see which organizations are doing work in these areas.
ALICE in Focus
United Way of Central Ohio is leading the way in Ohio as an ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Restrained, Employed) partner. ALICE households have incomes above the Federal Poverty Level, but below the basic cost of living threshold. The following map highlights that Franklin County contains high rates of children living below the ALICE threshold. Success by Third Grade uses the latest research on ALICE to inform our work, align resources and advocate for this growing population. Learn more about the ALICE here.
Focus Areas
Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten Transition
Connecting early childhood and K-12 systems to develop strategies that improve kindergarten readiness.
Kindergarten to First Grade Transition
Supporting collaboration between early childhood, Kindergarten and first grade to maintain grade level proficiency.
Interrupted Learning and Learning Loss
Working with districts and community partners to mitigate learning disruptions (such as suspensions, unstable housing, delayed enrollment) and learning loss (such as “summer slide”).
Attendance
Working with system leaders to address the underlying issues related to attendance, including strengthening the relationships our districts have with the Stay In The Game network.
Activities by District
Columbus City Schools
Preventing Learning Loss: For the past three years, Success by Third Grade has teamed up with Columbus City Schools, the Columbus Metropolitan Library and about 15 nonprofit partners to help kids keep learning over the summer. In 2025, these partners added fun reading and writing activities—like book giveaways, library visits, regular reading time and other creative ideas—into a wide variety of summer camps for more than 2,000 children. Together with Columbus City Schools, we’re measuring how these efforts help prevent learning loss, often called the summer slide, so every child can start the next school year strong.
Providing Basic Needs and School Supplies: During summer 2025, Success by Third Grade teamed up with Student Success Stores and the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Hilltop Branch to distribute 508 hygiene kits and 511 school supply kits to local students. By helping families meet basic needs, this effort supports school attendance and connects children to valuable programs like the library’s reading buddies, which promote early literacy and academic success. After seeing great results and strong community interest, we’re excited to expand this initiative to the Martin Luther King Branch in summer 2026.
Groveport Madison Schools
Convening Community Partners: Success by Third Grade brought together Nationwide Insurance, PetSmart and Groveport Madison Schools to deliver 150 hygiene kits and 300 new backpacks filled with school supplies to students across the district’s six elementary schools. These efforts directly support consistent attendance by ensuring students have the resources they need to feel confident and prepared to learn.
Promoting Family Stability: In 2025, Success by Third Grade continued its partnership with Groveport Madison Schools and PNC Bank to offer free financial literacy education for students and families. This initiative helps parents and caregivers build financial confidence, promotes economic wellness, and strengthens student success and attendance. It also connects to broader programs like Journey to Wealth and PNC’s Grow Up Great, reinforcing how financial literacy supports strong families and thriving learners.
Fighting Food Insecurity: Success by Third Grade collaborates with Feed the Kids Columbus, which supports nine schools in Groveport Madison Schools. Its mission is to rally the community to fight food insecurity and make sure every child has the nutrition needed to learn and grow. In 2024–2025, Feed the Kids Columbus provided 161,870 snacks and reached more than 3,000 students through classroom snacks and monthly snack bags. By filling gaps left by federal programs, we’re working together to ensure families and children have access to nutritious food year-round—reducing absenteeism and helping kids stay focused and engaged in school.
Reynoldsburg City Schools
Strengthening Reading Skills: When Waggoner Road Elementary reached out for support, Success by Third Grade stepped in to help 111 third graders strengthen their reading skills. Each student received access to Lexia EdTech literacy software, a powerful literacy program that adds fun, personalized practice both in school and at home. Teachers led daily classroom use, while parents and caregivers learned how to continue the support at home. The payoff was remarkable—a 12-point gain in reading achievement, with 54% of students passing the May 2025 state English Language Arts test, up from 42% in 2024. This growth outpaced Franklin County’s overall average, showing what’s possible when schools, families, and community partners work together.
Building Strong Community Connections: In 2024 and 2025, Success by Third Grade united early learning teachers, preschool educators, about 20 kindergarten teachers from all six Reynoldsburg elementary schools and district administrators to strengthen the transition from preschool to kindergarten. Through meaningful conversations, participants shared experiences, identified challenges and designed strategies to help every young learner start school ready to succeed. This collaboration continues to build stronger connections between early learning programs, preschools and kindergarten classrooms—laying the foundation for lifelong learning and success.
South Western City Schools
Convening and Connecting Educators: Success by Third Grade is strengthening kindergarten readiness in the South Western City School District by building bridges between early childhood educators and kindergarten teachers. Together, they identify challenges, share insights and create practical solutions that help children start school with confidence. Through classroom shadowing opportunities and collaborative discussions, early childhood centers and elementary schools are learning from one another and deepening their partnership. Working with about 10 early childhood centers and eight elementary schools, we’re fostering a shared understanding, aligning expectations and ensuring every child has the support they need for a smooth and successful transition to kindergarten.
Partnering to Provide Resources: In August 2025, Success by Third Grade joined forces with Nationwide Insurance to provide over $20,000 of school supplies for elementary schools across the district. Thanks to this partnership, 1,620 students received drawstring backpacks filled with school supplies, and schools gained additional classroom materials. This effort not only equipped children with the tools they need to learn but also helped boost attendance and support academic success throughout the year.
Westerville City Schools
Closing the Technology Gap: In partnership with the Westerville City School District, Success by Third Grade invested $16,750 in 2024 to purchase Chromebooks that help English Language Learner students build early literacy skills. This support is giving more children access to engaging reading activities and digital tools that strengthen language development and set the stage for future academic success.
Connecting Community Partners: Success by Third Grade helped secure a donated bus from COTA for The Big Bus, a Westerville-based nonprofit dedicated to helping children learn and thrive. The Big Bus offers afterschool tutoring for elementary and middle school students, early literacy activities for preschoolers and specialized support for English Language Learners. These programs play a vital role in promoting kindergarten readiness, improving attendance and fostering success throughout a student’s educational journey.
Whitehall City Schools
Collaborating for Student Success: Success by Third Grade teamed up with Franklinton Cycle Works, TREK, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Goodwill Columbus, Yay Bikes and Whitehall City Schools to surprise 62 second- and third-grade students with new bikes in November 2025. These students had shown growth in reading and writing, and maintained 90% or better attendance in September and October. The bikes not only celebrated their hard work but also provided a fun and reliable way to get to school—helping them keep up their great attendance and continue building success.
Providing Educational Resources: In partnership with Besa and generous associates from Cardinal Health, Success by Third Grade teamed up with C. Ray Williams Preschool in Whitehall to deliver more than 100 literacy kits to preschoolers ages 3 to 5. The kits are used both in classrooms and at home, helping children build early reading skills while boosting attendance and kindergarten readiness. Each kit is a small but powerful tool connecting families, teachers and community partners in support of every child’s educational journey.
Partners
