Report on early literacy: progress, challenges

Madison County CAPE Collaboration Partners just released the Early Literacy Brief for Madison County that outlines the development of CAPE (Community Alliances to Promote Education) over the past decade and progress toward the goal that every third grade child in Madison County will be proficient in reading by 2014. In 2008, United Way’s Born Learning Connection joined CAPE, focusing on the goal that all children will enter kindergarten ready to learn.

The 24-page printed report emphasizes the need for all sectors of our community to be actively involved in the issue, outlining how families, educators, businesses, community organizations and childcare providers can all influence a child’s reading and educational success and calling all to action.

 “We need to agree that our children who enter school have the early literacy skills to be ready to learn to read.  We need to agree that 95 percent of our third graders will be reading proficiently at grade level by 2014,” the report states, adding, “Some have said this is too ambitious.  We disagree.”

When CAPE was formed in 2001, just 35 percent of children entering kindergarten in Madison County tested at or above the national average in reading readiness and just 45 percent of third graders in Madison County were able to pass the language arts portion of the Indiana ISTEP.  In 2010 those numbers were 43 percent of entering kindergarten children and 75 percent of third graders.  Progress, to be sure, but still a ways from goal.  Further, the trend has hit a plateau over the past year signaling the need to step up activities.

The report, or brief, is not just a report of past activities and statistics, but truly a call to action, providing quick and easy steps that anyone can take to support early literacy and a listing of local, state and national resources. Download the brief. 

Also on the web site are downloads of readiness checklists for families and a description of all of the activities offered by Born Learning Connection: Books for Babies, Born Learning Trails, Blast Off to Kindergarten, and Basket Parties.  Born Learning Connection is focused on family outreach, but also connects to child care organizations with activities and through an annual provider conference.  

United Way’s Early Childhood Vision Council also approved a registered ministries developmental outreach program supported in part by a grant from the Indiana Association of United Ways that assists these child care providers in participation in the voluntary certification program, Paths to Quality (PTQ). The goal of outreach to child care providers and the PTQ system is to enhance the developmental quality of early child care and provide parents with tools to assess that quality. For more information on PTQ, visit www.huffermcc.org.

CAPE Director Mary Lee Ewald and Born Learn Coordinator Joanne Hadley have printed copies of the Early Literacy Brief and wish to make it available during presentations throughout the community.  To schedule a presentation, contact Mary Lee Ewald at 765-641-4027 or mlewald@anderson.edu.