A new narrative of hope and power

In Philadelphia, two out of every three children are reading below grade level by 4th grade. Which sets them up for struggling in school, falling further behind and feeling lost, incapable, and even ashamed. 

Philly’s early literacy movement is designed to change all this—before classrooms shift from learning how to read to reading to learn new subjects.

We are a coalition of 100+ organizations and countless loving parents, caregivers, educators and volunteers. Each committed to protecting every child’s right to read, their academic confidence, and life success. 

While our roles and responsibilities differ, we are guided by shared principles, strategies and the simple belief that we can do more together than on our own. 

We track the effectiveness of our theory of change, using data and metrics that are representative and sensible. 

The read-by-4th crisis in Philadelphia reaches far beyond the classroom. It’s the result from decades of systemic divestment of marginalized communities and ongoing racism, social oppression and educational inequities, and an enormous barrier to our children’s—and city’s—full potential.

That’s why we’re joining forces, aligning and organizing ourselves to solve this crisis. We understand that our collective mission is not for every child in Philadelphia to pick up a book, but to be able to write their own life story.