What If a Third Grader Knew How to Lead?
There’s a moment that happens in Leader in Me schools that teachers describe the same way, over and over.
A child who had learned to make herself small stands up in front of her class and presents something she made. A goal she set. A plan she built. And she does it with a steadiness that surprises everyone in the room, including herself.
That moment doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because someone decided that leadership isn’t a trait you’re born with. It’s a skill you can teach. And that the time to teach it is early.
Leader in Me brings The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People into schools — not as an assembly or an add-on, but woven into daily life. Students set goals, track progress, and lead their own parent conferences. Teachers lead with purpose. Families stay engaged.
Dr. Raj Chetty’s research on upward mobility points directly at this: a child’s long-term outcomes depend on more than academics. Character. Confidence. The belief that your future is something you have a hand in shaping. That’s what Leader in Me builds — in the communities where it matters most.
This year, Cities Strong Foundation secured a $1 million legislative appropriation to expand the program statewide. The Kern Family Foundation matched it. Local donors are being asked to match it again.
Three million dollars. Three partners. Thirteen schools on the Wasatch Front ready to go.
The legislature has committed. The national foundation is at the table. What completes the investment — what unlocks all of it — is the local match.
If you believe what we believe, that a child’s sense of agency is worth investing in early, we’d be grateful for your support.