DEEP mobilizes community partners around a research-guided theory of change designed to ensure that children attending schools in a cluster of southeastern San Diego neighborhoods enter kindergarten prepared for success and complete third grade reading proficiently. In 2020, there were 21,000 children from underserved homes in grades PK-3 in San Diego Unified School District. If current trends hold, nearly 60%, or 12,000, will not read proficiently by the end of third grade, decreasing their chances of completing high school. Those who fall behind, stay behind. The same percentage of children who do not read by the end of third grade do not achieve grade-level reading by 11th grade -- putting them on track to become our city's least skilled workers. DEEP works to sever the link between certain zip codes and poor life outcomes by investing in children during their first eight years, when returns on investment are highest and children's self confidence remains intact. We strengthen their caregivers' ability to prepare them for kindergarten; improve their teachers' capacity to deliver strong instruction; provide extra-curricular opportunities that reinforce and expand upon in-school learning; and connect families to community resources that prevent children from missing school or suffering the effects of poverty-induced trauma. We make schools hubs for community-school connections. We make a difference by ensuring that the future workforce is given every opportunity for success. Outcomes from the 2019-2020 school year revealed that regular participants in DEEP programs improved by an average of four reading levels. The percentage of students meeting grade-level standards grew by nearly 200%. On average, children who attended at least 75% of DEEP program days increased the number of irregular words they learned by over 100%.