Read On Yuma
A collaborative literacy project facilitated by the United Way of Yuma, 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
