Iowa Community Coalition Aims to Improve Child Literacy

AFRICA STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK

As the saying goes, reading is fundamental. And in Ames, Iowa, a coalition of 29 organizations has been working for four years toward that end by helping young children become proficient readers.

Coordinated by the Ames-based United Way of Story County, Story County Reads and its 29 partners work to ensure that children are prepared for kindergarten and are proficient in reading by the end of the third grade.  Research shows students who aren’t proficient by fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school. 

Organizations in the Story County Reads coalition include: six school districts, two public library systems, Iowa State University and a number of summer learning providers such as Camp Fire, Boys & Girls Clubs of Story County and YSS, a youth and family service organization that also offers summer enrichment activities to school districts to address skill gaps. Raising Readers, a nonprofit organization promoting children’s literacy, is a major player in the effort and works with struggling students who are paired with adult reading buddies.  

“Each organization implements their own type of programming… but we share information, resources and capacity building,” said Story County Reads Director Malai Amfahr.

The campaign also focuses heavily on infants and pre-schoolers. A research partnership between Raising Readers and Iowa State University Extension, for example, resulted in a program encouraging parents to talk and read to their young children.  The public health organization 1st Five conducts home or virtual visits to identify early developmental issues, while YSS connects with new mothers to offer multi-level support, including parenting classes.

Because school districts have identified first-graders as the age group whose reading skills suffered the most during the pandemic, summer programs will offer more slots for first-graders,  Amfahr said. Ames Community School District officials have also noticed students have responded well to online literacy lessons, so Amfahr is working with AmeriCorps volunteers on new virtual literacy activities for the summer.

But students may also attend in-person summer programs. The large number of community partners allows for a wider outreach and  a variety of ways to engage kids with different interests and learning styles, Amfahr said. By 2024, Story County Reads hopes to have 90% of struggling readers enrolled in summer learning programs.

“We have a number of dedicated partners who want to make sure kids have opportunities throughout the summer months because that is really a golden time for us to be engaging with the community at large,” she said.

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