Raising Readers and Encouraging Parent Champions!
We believe that learning to read begins at birth and that parents and families can become literacy champions for their children. We believe our community must have an absolute commitment and resolve that every child will learn to read by grade 3.
NC READS will support families and collaboratively work with public and private partners throughout our community to achieve this vision.
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The BIG Why?
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Reading unlocks opportunity in school and life.
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Reading enables economic mobility.
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Reading enables learning higher level skills.
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Reading enables choices.
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Reading is a right!
Our Process
NC READS seeks to support families for better literacy outcomes and will structure its program to deliver maximum benefit for these parents and children through reliance in three overarching principles:
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​Leveraging human nature where children lead and parents want great outcomes
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Making this easy
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Supporting long-term change
Ignite Parents
Active participation of parents is essential in early learning, particularly through creating literacy-rich home environments, such as having books in the home.
Educate
Educate parents on the value of reading skills.
Inadequate literacy skills negatively impacts school performance and, ultimately, reduces family stability, earnings potential, and
even longevity.
Encourage
Encourage parents and caregivers to engage their children in the warm, nurturing, and stimulating interactions needed to promote healthy brain development.
Activate Resources
Leverage existing services and organizations to improve early brain development and the acquisition of pre-reading skills. Support emerging readers as they prepare for kindergarten.
Our
Impact
NC READS focuses in geographic areas where issues of poverty, low levels of education, language barriers, and a lack of interest in reading are prevalent. We leverage and enhance existing trust relationships to equip parents and caregivers as literacy champions in every child’s home. We also advocate for literacy-rich homes for children living in poverty and elevate community commitments to assure every child becomes a reader.​
Your
Opportunity
Join with us to change the lives of children and their futures.
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The unique strength of NC READS is our focus on early child development with a goal for reading proficiency by third grade. Our work will engage parents in developing the skills infants, toddlers, and young children need so they become proficient readers as elementary school students. To accomplish this focused goal, we will practice intentional collaboration and community awareness campaigns.
Challenges
Our public schools are filled with dedicated teachers who work tirelessly and creatively to teach every student to read. But when children show up to kindergarten as much as two years behind, the current structure is not able to meet their needs. Even with universal access to pre-K programs, too many children arrive at the kindergarten door one to two years behind their peers.
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Seeking to impact the “readiness” factors for low income and vulnerable children, NC READS leaders have researched and identified strategies that equip parents and families with simple and effective, no-cost tools that encourage richer and more frequent positive interactions with their infants and toddlers.
In 2023 in Wake County, among economically disadvantaged
third graders,
only one of every three read at grade level.
