2021-Leaders-United-Quarterly-Q3-ReaderSpreads-v5 - Flipbook - Page 3
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
WHAT ARE WE DOING TO HELP?
Greater Nashville is facing a literacy
crisis. It’s been this way for decades.
So, where do we start? How do
we make sure that every child
in our community—regardless
of background, zip code or
circumstances—gets an equitable
chance at a bright future?
Three out of four of Nashville’s third graders are not
reading on grade level. But this isn’t just any metric or
an arbitrary mark of success.
We know that third grade is the turning point when
kids go from learning to read—to reading to learn. So,
if they haven’t developed those basic reading skills
by third grade, they’re likely going to struggle to solve
math problems, complete science experiments and
understand their history lessons.
By working together to give kids access to books
starting at birth, to provide high-quality early
education and to address systemic challenges
within early literacy.
Because of your support, we are working to:
When kids don’t meet this milestone, the impact
it can have on their future, their family’s future, is
devastating.
Give Kids Access to Books at Home
And it all starts in those early years.
Children who have not developed basic literacy skills
by the time they enter third grade are three to four
times more likely to drop out in later years, will likely
earn half the annual income of their peers and have
higher incidences of arrest or incarceration—often
keeping them trapped in a cycle of poverty that sticks
with families for generations.
In many ways, the future health and strength of our
community depends on us meeting this mark—and
doing everything we can to make sure all kids have
the chance to learn and to succeed.
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Unite d Way of G reater Nas h v i l l e
Three out of four of
Nashville’s third graders are
not reading on grade level.
Ninety percent of physical brain development
occurs in the first three years of life, when a
baby forms more than one million new neural
connections per second. Children who are read
to regularly and early in life establish a special
bond with their caregivers and are better prepared
for school.
That’s why having access to a variety of ageappropriate books at home is so important—
starting at birth.
United Way partners with the Governor’s
Early Literacy Foundation and the Dollywood
Foundation, to manage Imagination Library
of Middle Tennessee, which delivers an ageappropriate, high-quality book each month
straight to children’s mailboxes at no cost to
families. Books are personalized with the child’s
name, making books exciting and inspiring a love
for reading at an early age.
United Way raises funds for this program and
relies on generous donors to support the cost of
the books and to build awareness so that more
kids can sign up.
Provide Quality Early Childhood Education
All kids deserve to start kindergarten ready
to learn. But too many early learners in our
community face circumstances that dim their
opportunities to start on the right foot.
For more than a decade, United Way’s Read to
Succeed program has been working to make
sure kids in our early learning centers receive
equitable, high-quality early education. We do this
by empowering educators and teaching them the
U nited Way of Greater Nas h ville
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