Early Learning

Just how important is the ability to read?

A student not reading at grade level by the end of 3rd grade is 4x more likely to drop out of high school. Add poverty into the mix and that same student is 6x more likely not to finish high school. When we connect families to literacy supports, we empower them to help their children thrive.

School Readiness

Learning to read begins long before school starts. Together with our partners, we fight for youth success by:

Increasing the number of child care programs with family engagement policies to increase caregiver involvement in early learning
Increasing the number of parents with infants and young children who receive child development and family literacy supports
Increasing the number of quality early childcare slots

In 2017-18, our investments ensured that 17K+ children were better prepared to enter Kindergarten ready to learn after attending high-quality child care centers.

K-3 Literacy

Children of parents with low literacy skills have a 72% chance of being at the lowest reading levels themselves. Together with our partners, we fight for youth success by:

Increasing the amount of evidence-based out-of-school time initiatives improving student achievement or preventing summer reading loss
Increasing the ability of parents to support their children’s emerging and developing literacy skills through evidenced-based out-of-school time programs

In 2017-18, our investments helped 12K 2nd and 3rd grade students improve their reading skills.