Arizona Literacy Director:

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1 Read On Arizona brings philanthropic organizations in partnership with state agencies and the business sector and has created a network of communities focused on early literacy. Arizona Literacy Director: Terri Clark was appointed as Arizona Literacy Director in June A unique position charged with leading Read On Arizona, and shared by the six founding partner organizations. The position is dedicated 24/7 to coordinating the literacy efforts of all partners throughout the state to build an early literacy continuum of language and literacy supports and services for children birth through age eight.

2 ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2013: Developed a 10 year strategic literacy action plan with a statewide and local focus Launched Read On Arizona at Phoenix Children s Museum in Feb with Ralph Smith as Keynote speaker, along with Superintendent of Public Instruction, John Huppenthal, and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton. Launched website for practitioners, educators, and families

3 Introduced a statewide early literacy summer reading collaborative to encourage families to read with their children (over 100,000 participants AND over 1,000,000 books read!) Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Superintendent of Public Instruction, John Huppenthal, and Arizona Literacy Director, Terri Clark kick off Summer Reading Collaborative at Peralta Elementary School in Phoenix on May 9, 2013!

4 Developed a network of Read On Communities focused on a collaborative approach to improving early learning and literacy locally. Highlighted on Education Nation Phoenix (May 2013): Held Read On Arizona Statewide General meeting for partners. Over 80 organizations in attendance to help guide next steps and planning for Read On Arizona

5 COMING THIS FALL Read On Arizona: EARLY LITERACY SUMMIT (November 2013): Read On Arizona will host a literacy summit with Read On Phoenix and Mayor Greg Stanton to foster an interactive community dialogue around the challenges of early literacy Early Literacy Task Force developing an Arizona Continuum of Effective Literacy Practices framework for the Read On Arizona Collaborative Data Integration and Systems Linkages task force to guide collaborative on devising strategies for improvement through data integration, data driven decision- making, research, and evidence- based solutions Developing a three- year communications plan to leverage marketing assets of all partners and build a statewide awareness campaign on early learning, vocabulary development and reading with your child targeting parents and caregivers Distributing an Early Literacy Guide for Families with partners to help message importance of early literacy and understanding around implementation of Arizona's Move On When Reading 3rd grade retention policy. In a statewide partnership with McDonald s the guide will be given out at 250 sites throughout Arizona.

6 What is working? Implementation of in- home family literacy coaching services in the three target neighborhoods. Coaches help families create more supportive literacy environments in their homes and connect them to available community resources. It's our hope that this individualized approach will reach some of the highest risk, hardest to find children and families, and enroll them in other early literacy supports such as the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and/or KinderCamp. In- home family literacy coaches report that they can establish trust more quickly with families because the coaches themselves live in the neighborhoods they re serving. KinderCamp is very successful and will be expanded next summer to Hopi, Grand Canyon and Holbrook. Three out of five of the current KinderCamp school districts have indicated they would like to expand the number of classrooms at their current sites. Data shows that 54% of students who attended KinderCamp last summer (2012) were fully ready for kindergarten. Only 35% of those students with little or no preschool or early care experiences were fully ready for kindergarten. What have you accomplished? Conducted 14 KinderCamp classrooms in Coconino County this summer (2013). Conducted a Community Scan of Literacy Resources for Children and Families (1st draft arrived this week). Held a kickoff dinner for Read On Flagstaff in January Received grant award from the ACF of $55k for evaluation of the ROF project. Have pending grant application with the Flagstaff Community Foundation for support of one of the KinderCamp sites, for the costs of a facilitator for a Community of Practice comprised of early education providers and for matching funds for quality improvement mini- grants for informal care providers. Contracted with ASR for evaluation of Read On Flagstaff and putting measurements in place for all Read On Flagstaff strategies. Created a new position of Literacy Coordinator to oversee many of the Read On Flagstaff strategies, particularly KinderCamp. Obtained more than 1,000 books so that the in- home family literacy coaches have age appropriate books to give families to start or augment their home libraries. Which barriers have proven most challenging? It s been challenging to retain the coaches. We planned to have 3 coaches, one for each targeted neighborhood, each one working 12 hours/week for 12/hr. We ve learned that the coaches need more time with families, more hours/week and that we won t meet the numbers we committed to in our Helios grant without increasing the coaches time on the job. We ve also learned that $12/hr. is not enough for part- time work. There s been turnover of coaches because they needed more hours on the job and/or higher salaries. We re trying to understand how to best develop a CoP for early care providers and a ROF Collaborative, and what that the costs might be. We definitely underestimated the costs of

7 the commitments we made to the Helios Education Foundation but the good news is that Helios is willing to consider proposed changes to our scope of work. What have been the biggest surprises? Disappointments? Both a surprise and disappointment... It took longer than expected to get the coaching services off the ground to find the right people for the positions, hire and train them. After all three coaches were trained we lost two of them to better paying positions. We are looking at how we can reallocate Helios and United Way of Northern Arizona funds to expand the coaches FTE s from 1.08 to 2.0, to increase the coaches hourly wages and to put in place a full- time lead coach to coordinate the services and provide ongoing training of current and future coaches. Have there been any unexpected benefits? Costs? One benefit, which we didn t fully expect, was how much we ve been enlightened and inspired by being a part of Read On Arizona, Read On Cities and the National Campaign for Grade Level Reading. We have a lot to learn and a long way to go but we are more visionary than we might be otherwise because of the larger partnerships we relate to. We definitely underestimated the costs of the strategies we want to put in place so a fair amount of staff time is spent on obtaining resources. Being a part of a national and statewide effort has helped position the local Read On Flagstaff effort and the United Way of Northern Arizona as making a genuine difference in children s readiness for school. What have you learned? We are just beginning a long and fruitful journey. What is the biggest take away? The power of data. Numbers, accompanied by stories are compelling. The opportunity to learn from larger efforts and connect to them.

8 In April of 2013, the City of Goodyear partnered with local schools to host the city s inaugural Reading Challenge. The month long initiative was aimed at improving students literacy level in a fun and competitive environment outside of the schools regular curriculum. At the conclusion of the Reading Challenge 2,335 students, ranging from 3 rd to 8 th grade, amassed a total of 760,814 pages read. The winners of the 3 rd to 5 th grade division received an ice cream party hosted by Mayor Georgia Lord and the Goodyear City Council. The winners in the 6 th to 8 th grade division were given tickets to an Arizona Diamondbacks game. By instilling a love for reading in our students and helping them improve their literacy, we hope to better prepare our children for their future and increase their chances for success later on in life. Councilmember Joanne Osborne said. Next up: Read On Goodyear will build on the city council s early learning blocks and host an early literacy summit in early 2014.

9 Read On Greater Phoenix launched 2012 to ensure that all children read at grade level by the end of third grade. It s anticipated that in more than ten programs and services will be offered in selected communities. At minimum, more than 2,500 children will receive direct literacy support, 2,000 parents will be educated on the importance of literacy and nearly 200 early care and education caregivers and teachers will receive professional development opportunities that will support their teaching of language and literacy. During the first year of implementation, Valley of the Sun United Way has learned the importance of increasing connections and communication among early literacy providers and the schools, while developing outreach programs that serve high risk populations directly where they are located. In 2013, the Read On Greater Phoenix Literacy Fair and Raising A Reader programs illustrated successful community networking and parent literacy education that meets the unique needs of children and families. Community Awareness and Advocacy Literacy Fairs Literacy Fairs at participating elementary schools serve as a way for children and families to see that reading can be fun. It also deepens understanding that literacy is the key to a child s general education and ultimately their academic success. Read On Greater Phoenix Community Partners joined together over the course of five months to provide engaging language and literacy activities with an emphasis on developing a culture of literacy in the home. Every action parents and family members take can help their children read fluently by the end of third grade. Additionally, Valley of the Sun United Way s Women s Leadership Council collected 9,000 age appropriate books to be distributed at the Literacy Fairs. Success Story: Four- year old Eric held up his new favorite book and his parents, Melissa and Peter McRoyal, knew they d made the right choice in emphasizing literacy at home by creating a mini- home library. Peter Junior, their older of two sons and now a fifth grader, was in third grade when they first created the mini- home library area, which included a book shelf and a chair, to emphasize the importance of reading in order to succeed in school, college and career. Then they watched Peter start reading- - - every day after school. Making literacy a prominent and fun activity at home sparked a love of reading and has quickly become a favorite family past time for both of the boys.

10 At the Read On Greater Phoenix Literacy Fair held at Brunson- Lee Elementary School, the McRoyals introduced their two little nieces to the idea of setting up a library area at their home, where a new baby is expected any day. The McRoyal boys were among the children who left the fair with books to create their own mini- library, as part of Valley of the Sun United Way s community objective to ensure children and youth succeed. If it s out of sight, it s out of mind, Melissa said. Reading is really something every parent should encourage doing every day after school. You can just see the change in their understanding of the world and their learning at school. Parent Literacy Education Educate parents on how to nurture early literacy skills, promote a culture of literacy within the home and successfully become their child s first teacher. Raising A Reader Based on a national, evidence- based model, Raising A Reader is an eight- week early literacy program that educates parents about the importance of early literacy and how they can build these skills in their young children and help them enter school ready to learn. The program is provided to parents in apartment buildings and community settings that are close to home. Success Stories An important component of the program is proximity to the home, eliminating the need for transportation. One mother was quoted said, Having Raising A Reader here at my community has been so nice. We do not have a car and being able to walk down to the clubhouse and meet with other parents in my apartment complex was really great. My daughter and I have also met more of our neighbors. We have gone to the library together to check out books with our new friends. The Raising A Reader program has also had an impact on teaching parents the importance of establishing routines. Parents have seen the added benefit in many regards. One mother stated, Every night after I give my son a bath he asked me to read to him. After I am done with the story he is calm and ready to go to sleep without any problems.

11 Read On Mesa is solidifying a commitment to assess the current status of grade- level reading in our community. We understand we need a coordinated and collaborative approach to address the issue of early literacy. In May 2013, to begin this process we are convening key stakeholders and outlining a timeline and defining roles for a coordinated effort around engaging volunteers focused on supporting early literacy. This could mean volunteers recruited to help with existing library programs centered around story time for families and young children, supporting tutoring efforts in early education and K- 3 classrooms working in tandem with the school district and identifying other literacy volunteer efforts needed in the community. We will identify goals and map progress as we work to ensure that children become proficient readers by the end of third grade. We look forward to highlighting early literacy as a priority in our community and becoming a critical driver towards grade level reading for all of Mesa s children. Initial collaborative partners include: Office of Mayor Scott Smith City of Mesa Mesa Public Library Mesa Public Schools Mesa United Way

12 Read On Phoenix launch at Phoenix Public Library on June 6 th. Arizona Diamondbacks hold special recognition day for Read On Phoenix on June 19 th. (Mayor Stanton threw out the first pitch and teen volunteers recognized in front of crowd of 26,867.) Mayor Stanton's 100,000- Book Challenge encourages families to collectively read by reaching the goal of 100,000 books. Currently 217,089 books read this summer! Ready to Read workshops for parents and caregivers to learn how to develop early literacy skills in young children. Family reading events at local libraries and after- school sites. Variety of structured classes in local community centers for children from birth to age five that provide educational activities for positive child development and interactions between caregivers and their children that include arts, sciences, child development, nutrition, gardening, music, and physical activity. The Phoenix Great Start Program provides a parent guide to early brain development and its importance for kindergarten readiness. The guide focuses on the first three years of a child s life with an emphasis on language and literacy, thinking skills, self- control and self- confidence. It also includes a list of suggestions by kindergarten teachers and child development experts that a new kindergarten should master before beginning their school experience. The list of 10 things includes a free pass to cultural institutions such as the Phoenix Zoo, the Arizona Science Center, etc.

13 What is working? Instructional support coaching is improving interactions between teachers and students in the major domains of classroom experience: concept development, quality of feedback, and language modeling. Teachers are using longer feedback loops, spending more time with students in one- on- one and in group settings to develop concepts more fully (i.e. they are connecting everyday experience to learning activities), engaging in higher quality language modeling through parallel self- talk, open- ended questions, and advanced language. Building Personal Libraries is a twofold strategy: 1) My Summer Library children select 12 different books over the summer for consecutive summers and 2) Imagination Library children 0- five years old in targeted zip codes receive age appropriate books until five years of age. Through My Summer Library, we distributed 6,816 books to 568 students in schools with low numbers of students reading at grade level. Dolly Parton Imagination Library is in full force with 276 children receiving free books in the mail each month. The United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona s First Focus on Kids Coalition is integrating Read on Tucson into its subcommittee work. For instance, the health sub- committee will collaborate with Read on Tucson schools to work with families and school health professionals to ensure that resources are provided for dental and asthma related illnesses. What have you accomplished? United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona has scaled up My Summer Library from two schools to ten schools. This year we provided books to all PACE preschool students who are also benefitting from instructional support coaching. Public preschool instructional support benefits six teachers, six teaching assistants and 96 students. Local public awareness is increasing through UWTSA s Annual Business Leader s Breakfast and Women Leading United, an affinity group of UWTSA. The need for 3 rd grade reading and the work of United Way and its partners in this effort were profiled in the Arizona Daily Star. Community profiles of each Read on Tucson school have been developed to identify early literacy gaps and access to literacy and learning opportunities. Which barriers have proven most challenging? Sustainable funding is important to continue moving forward with this important work. We must continue working with the business community to convey that 3 rd grade reading is a workforce development issue. The need for 3 rd grade reading does not exist in a silo. It impacts the economic health of our community. Dispel the perception that 3 rd grade reading proficiency is for schools to solve alone. What have you learned? It is almost essential to frame 3 rd grade reading as an economic issue and the cost/benefit analysis is important to these conversations. At the same time, the community understands the need for children to have books in their hands. This strategy provides opportunities to involve volunteers who want to hold book drives and volunteer at book fairs. What is the biggest take away? The statewide approach that we are taking in Arizona is important to reach as many children as possible who are not reading at grade level.

14 Read On Yuma seeks to further the planning needed to ensure that children residing in the target neighborhoods read at grade level or higher by third grade. The project will focus on improving literacy and language acquisition for children in early childhood programs linking to aligning with Kindergarten and grades first through third. Read On Yuma will implement a multi- strategy planning approach in the identified neighborhoods with high poverty rates, to develop the Read On Yuma Collaborative, which will promote community awareness and mobilize action towards every Yuma child reading at grade level or higher. Goals, Objectives and Strategies: This project focused on the challenge of school readiness as it relates to needed resources for children, families, teachers and administrators to develop grade- level reading proficiency in children. During this planning phase, United Way of Yuma County will convene partners and providers to build support, assess capacity, and strategize implementation of the following goals: Family supports for early literacy: Ensuring school and community information for families is widely available. Ensuring families have the skills to support child s literacy Increasing family awareness and educational opportunities Increase the number of early childhood teachers and volunteers that are highly competent in language development and instructional support. Build and mobilize community members to volunteer, advocate and contribute efforts that will ensure all third grade students in Yuma achieve grade level standards by 2015 Increase transition strategies from Pre- K to K Develop and support a collaborative reinforcing activities and track progress towards goals Collaborative Partners: Arizona Western College Association for Supportive Child Care Child and Family Resources Crane Elementary School District Expect More Arizona First Things First Northern Arizona University Reach Out and Read Arizona United Way of Yuma County University of Arizona Western Area Council of Governments Yuma County Health District Yuma County Library Main Branch Yuma Elementary School District Yuma School District One