What the experts say
"Initial String Sprouts research results show great promise. The program builds connections between children and parents; motor skills; receptive vocabulary; and the executive function skills of initiative, flexibility, and attention. All of these skills will provide an advantage to young children in school and beyond."
Jovanna Rohs, Ph.D.
Director of Early Learning and Head Start
Mid-America Regional Council (MARC)
Why String Sprouts?
Research shows children living in poverty are more likely to start Kindergarten a full year behind their more well-off peers and nearly a third will be unable to read at grade level by the time they are halfway through elementary school. (Starting School at a Disadvantage: The School Readiness of Poor Children, Julia B. Isaacs, Brookings Institution, 2012)
Research shows that music education accelerates brain development improving language and mathematical skills as well as social and emotional skills, all of which are critical to academic success.
There is a wealth of studies demonstrating Early Childhood education can have lasting effects on cognition, socio-emotional development, school readiness and progress, that work to reduce the cycle of poverty.
A 2015-16 program evaluation by the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute showed that Sprouts significantly improves:
• student vocabularies
• academic skills (letters, numbers, comparisons)
• executive function (attention, emotion regulation, planning, working memory)
• parent-child relationships
"My children are more focused and much more resilient."
- K.C. String Sprouts parent