A movement that recently began taking shape at the Washoe County School District is targeting local youth who are at risk of dropping out of high school.

The Ready for Life program is gaining traction, thanks to a partnership the district has with the Nevada Public Education Foundation (NPEF), which helps Nevada school districts with funding and support.

“If they (NPEF) weren’t there, we’d be back to doing things the way we used to,” said Steve Hull, WCSD’s chief communications and public affairs officer. “It’s hard to get people to come together. When you’re part of Ready for Life, you come to the meeting.”

The northern Nevada portion of the nonprofit NPEF recently hired a new executive director, Kari Earle, who will oversee the organization that seeks to ensure that public schools have what they need to decrease dropout rates and increase graduation rates. Part of that goal is fundraising.

The Grant a Wish program, from which the Washoe County School District received a portion of $70,000 earlier this year for technology and financial literacy needs at several schools, is one such grant the NPEF connects districts with to provide resources directly to students.

“What we want to do with the school district is help it through Ready for Life work and any other ways we can come in and help move it to a bigger level,” Earle said. “We’re helping by raising funds on their behalf.”

Earle has experience primarily in health and human services, as well as consulting work on a national level. When the opportunity arose to work with NPEF as executive director, she said education was a natural fit.

In her role with NPEF, she’ll be a liaison between the state and local levels of education.

Earle said foundations like the NPEF have the ability to bring together community members and agencies who have common interests and help them identify a specific focus.

“We’re providing the kind of staffing and funding that it takes to pull together groups that have similar interests but don’t really have a thing to rally around unless they have somebody to bring them to the table,” she said. Ready for Life created such an opportunity for WCSD.

According to www.readyforlifenv.org, young people who are not engaged in education or the workforce by the age of 25 are likely to remain disconnected from such activities throughout their lives.

Earle said NPEF does not dictate a district’s programs, but it does bring in certain expertise as needed to help educate policymakers and local governments.

Hull said WCSD’s relationship with NPEF has been beneficial. “A lot of it certainly depends on what the foundation is able to do, but we would certainly like to continue that (relationship),” Hull said.

Hull said one important aspect for the community to know is the district and its partners are uniting to help the youth.

“They should know there is organization and focus,” Hull said. “The nonprofits and private organizations that are working together are focused on certain needs of the disenfranchised youth. It’s not helter-skelter when it comes to Ready for Life. There is data; there are working committees.”