By Jenna Nguyen | Manager, Business Development and Brand
Thank you for your commitment to early childhood literacy this year. Even with your generous support, we still have more work to do in this country.
Did you know 6 out of 10 U.S. children fail to read proficiently by grade 4? For children living in Detroit, Michigan the statistics are more startling. With support from generous people like you, we are able to expand our reach to families and children in places like Detroit.
There are currently more than 80,000 children under the age of eight living in Detroit, with more than 60 percent of Detroit’s children under the age of five living in poverty. Approximately 86 percent of Detroit’s third-graders are not reading at grade level, which makes it more likely these children will struggle academically and throughout their lives without intervention.
In November, Raising A Reader announced a new partnership with Brilliant Detroit, a local nonprofit that provides academic readiness programs to underserved children in the Detroit area. The partnership is aimed at improving the city’s literacy rate among elementary school children which is among the lowest in the country.
“We can and must do better for our children,” said Cindy Eggleton, CEO of Brilliant Detroit. “Our efforts at Brilliant Detroit are to use what we know works to help kids and families be school and life ready. We are thrilled to bring Raising a Reader to Detroit to help do just that."
Initially Raising A Reader will be rolled out to approximately 100 families with children 0-3 as part of a pilot program, and then expanded to a greater number of families throughout metropolitan Detroit through Brilliant Detroit locations working in partnership with local schools.
“This partnership will mark Raising A Reader’s first entry into Detroit and we are extremely optimistic about the impact we can have through Brilliant Detroit,” said Erica Wood, interim president and CEO of Raising A Reader. “The city’s children are in dire need of a literacy program to break the cycle of poverty and academic underperformance and we are committed to playing a role in that process.”
We at Raising A Reader are extremely grateful for donors like you. It is with your help that we will be able to serve more families and children in cities like Detroit.
As you know, we recently announced one of the most aggressive literacy campaigns in recent U.S. history. We have committed to reaching 3 million children across the country with our literacy program by 2020. We can \not do it without you! Please consider making a yearend donation to Raising A Reader to make sure we don't leave another child behind.
Many thanks,
Your Raising A Reader Team
By Jenna Nguyen | Manager, National Strategic Partnerships
By Jenna Nguyen | Manager of National Strategic Partnerships
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