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How Duke Employee Giving Impacts Schools

Duke's Doing Good in the Neighborhood campaign helps students get ready for kindergarten

Anna Sanders has been teaching kindergarten at Y.E. Smith Elementary School in Durham for 40 years.

"What I enjoy most," Sanders said, "is seeing them grow, academically and socially, in the classroom."She is also a teacher in Stepping Stones, a kindergarten-readiness summer program for incoming students who haven't had any preschool experience. Evaluation results show that Stepping Stones is making a real difference: This year, the percentage of students rated as "not ready" for kindergarten decreased from 59 percent to 22 percent.Through Doing Good in the Neighborhood, Duke employees have helped send 90 rising kindergartners in three elementary schools to Stepping Stones.

Stepping Stones is just one of many education programs supported by Duke employees through Doing Good in the Neighborhood. To learn more about the employee giving campaign and to make a donation, visit the website.