EMPOWERS ENTIRE FAMILIES TO THRIVE
UPO is DC’s largest Early Head Start provider
We prepare children and their parents for success.
Our team is at the intersection of education and health, empowering families by giving them the support they need to become productive members of society.
By removing the high cost of childcare, we enable parents to work and stimulate economic development at the community level.
Reduction in cost of childcare for families served by UPO schools (2021-2024)
$67,363,900 *
* Estimated childcare cost for parents of UPO Early Head Start students - DC OSSE. 2024. Modeling the cost of childcare in the District of Columbia, 2021/2023/2024
UPO nurtures children in 11 Early Childhood Education Centers throughout the city. For the past decade, UPO has also overseen 13 other centers in the Quality Improvement Network, which is a citywide effort to improve educational outcomes. Our expert training and technical assistance (with systems and coaching, for example) raises every center to a level that meets federal standards.
For example:
The percent of children who scored below expectations was
Cut in Half
in Literacy, Math, Cognitive, and Social-Emotional skills
Children educated in UPO schools, which enabled parents to work (2021-2024)
2,742
We connect parents to UPO’s job training and placement programs, teach them how to avoid child abuse and neglect, and involve them through inperson and virtual events including Baby Showers, Preventive Healthcare, Financial & Credit Literacy, Mental Health Services, and weeklong Parenting Skills courses (ACT Raising Safe Kids). These activities are roadmaps to success.
In 2024:
96 families improved their parenting practices
113 families built their peer networks
86 parents either obtained a job or started school
92 families improved their understanding of child development and then changed their behavior
A child’s first 1,000 days build the foundation of their life. Our educators help them to make a solid one.
Ms. Veronica Diaz-Perez is an Early Head Start parent. Her child with special needs gets customized services at a UPOsupervised center. UPO also helped Veronica finish high school, gain a home, dress for success, and feed her family. To give back, she is honored to serve as the Parent Policy Council’s representative on UPO’s Board of Directors. Also, Veronica just graduated with her Childhood Development Associate credential. She aspires to become a teacher, learn new skills, and become a role model.
When we unveiled our new Early Childhood Education Center at Randle Highlands Elementary, it was a milestone. The center in Ward 7 is a pilot for a new education model that’s better for children, parents, and educators. It is an all-year program that emphasizes teachers’ wellness, including holistic stress management, a compressed work schedule, and improved self-care (via a collaboration with the DC Dept. of Behavioral Health).
The driving force behind this project is the Bainum Family Foundation’s WeVision EarlyEd initiative. Bainum and UPO have partnered since 2016; we are honored to collaborate on this center and future ones.
Our early education team is delighted that the DC Action Renaissance Awards chose UPO’s Glenda Diaz as the Home Visitor of the Year!
The Home Based Program serves students throughout the District. Our trained Home Visitors come to every family for 90 minutes every week to help parents meet their own goals for their child’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development.
Glenda’s work has a profound impact. Families who once felt isolated now feel supported, children are thriving, and parents feel hopeful about the future.
One parent said:
UPO developed this program because we saw the need for dynamic, passionate early childhood professionals. With 10 university partners, we offer scholarships, funded academic opportunities, and a progressive credentialing program starting with Child Development Associate (CDA) and extending to a full master’s degree. This is how we create ideal educators who help children blossom.
Our early education team is proud that the DC Head Start Association chose UPO’s Elizabeth Sanchez for a Teacher of the Year award!
Hannah Greer, mother of Quincy and Naila, said, “She is everything you would hope for in a teacher. From the moment you meet her, it’s clear she treats every child with the same love and care as if they were her own. Her classroom is a warm, nurturing, and enriching environment where children thrive.”
“I didn’t know what resources were available in my community. Glenda explained everything clearly and helped me sign up. The activities she brought helped my son grow, and I learned how to support him at home. She also helped me find health insurance, food, clothing, and more. She listens to me and always checks in on my family goals. Her support has changed my life.”
We offer crucial services for expectant mothers. Our experts come to them to navigate prenatal care, give them a checklist of questions to ask during doctor visits, and teach them how to care for themselves and their babies-to-come.
Over 100,000 of Washington DC’s 650,000 residents (17%) live in poverty. That’s higher than the national average of 12% (per the US Census Bureau). Every year, UPO is critical to the success of thousands of DC residents who want to prosper.
As the nonprofit Community Action Agency (CAA) that serves the people of DC, UPO is one of 1,000 CAAs across the nation that grow local economies by investing in people who want to join the middle class. This network is responsive, effective, and accountable, and its impact is profound, helping people to reach prosperity they didn’t imagine was possible.
UPO earned the Award of Excellence from the National Community Action Partnership. This honor is based on Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award criteria which recognize organizational effectiveness and management excellence.
