Meet Julia Cadwallender, Read by 4th's new Managing Director
Meet Julia Cadwallender, Read by 4th’s new Managing Director. Julia is an educator with a fierce belief in the power of collaboration. She’s stepping into this role with a fresh perspective and a deep dedication to Philly’s families, the science of reading, and community. We sat down with Julia to hear about her journey, her hopes, and what she’s excited to bring to this work.
Here’s what she had to say.
Julia, we’re so excited to have you on the team! How would you introduce yourself in one sentence?
I’m a mom, creative, and someone who really cares about kids, education, and equity.
Why did you want to be a part of Read by 4th and what excites you most about your new position?
Honestly, it’s something I’ve said a lot when meeting partners, but it’s true: after 15 years in classrooms and direct school work, it became clear to me that schools alone can’t solve the big challenges we face—whether it’s improving literacy scores, math scores, attendance, or anything else. We have to work together.
I have a background in community building and social change, and I’m passionate about asset-based thinking—seeing what’s already going well in communities and figuring out how we can build on those strengths to create positive change.=
What excites me about Read by 4th is how we bring partners together and their enthusiasm to work collaboratively rather than in silos. That’s where real solutions come from.
How has your experience in schools shaped your philosophy on early childhood literacy?
A few key things come to mind. First, my experience as both a classroom teacher and a support role—has shown me the complexity of school systems. People often overlook how much work it takes to implement a curriculum or mandate effectively. It’s not just about purchasing a good program; supporting the adults who bring that to life in the classroom, as well as the families involved, requires a network of complex support. We get excited when a new bill gets passed or there is a press release about a new curriculum, but to make it truly work for students, the teachers and families need strong, ongoing support.
When it comes to early childhood literacy, it's clear that we need to start well before kindergarten. I’ve seen too many children walk into their first day of school without basic letter recognition or sound awareness. During beginning-of-year assessments, I’d ask them what sound a letter made, and sometimes, I’d get animal noises or whatever sounds they were familiar with. At first, it might seem a bit funny, but it quickly became concerning. These foundational skills should ideally be introduced before kindergarten, and there’s a noticeable gap between kids who come in with these pre-reading skills and those who don’t. And that gap often reflects deeper, structural inequalities.
We also have to recognize the privilege many of us in education have. There are so many reasons why families might not have the time or resources to focus on things like alphabet knowledge—whether it's juggling multiple jobs, facing stress, or simply not having the support they need. But at the same time, we also need to acknowledge that families know what’s best for their children. It’s about supporting them in ways that meet their unique needs and circumstances, rather than assuming they’re not invested in their child’s learning.
Can you talk a bit more about why it is important to keep families as central to this work?
I think that's exactly it: families know what they need. They may not always have the words to define it, but they can certainly tell you the issues they’re facing. Our job is to work alongside them to find solutions.
If we're designing ways to teach kids to read or to know their letters and sounds for kindergarten without family input—without understanding when and how these practices fit into their lives—it won’t work. Family input and engagement are essential to finding the right solutions. We could spend a lot of time creating ideas and implementing programs, but if these aren’t grounded in what the community truly needs, or if they don’t work within families’ daily routines, they won’t stick.
Families operate as systems, too. I heard someone put it perfectly the other day—parents are like CEOs of their households. They’re managing so much, and their skills in organizing and problem-solving to get kids out the door each day require a level of thought and strategy that deserves respect. Even if parents don’t have a formal background in child development or literacy, that doesn’t mean they aren’t figuring out what works best for their family.
It really does take a village to raise a child. Can you speak to why it’s so important to acknowledge the role of community in advancing early literacy?
Kids are learning everywhere. And literacy really is everywhere, too.
To function in our society, you need some level of literacy; it’s one of our main ways of communicating. So, there are opportunities for literacy instruction all around us. Literacy development happens in so many places and benefits from input from people with different perspectives.
The more people who interact with a child and understand literacy as a goal for that child, the more we can expand access to literacy.
Imagine if the pediatrician, the dentist, Reading Captains, or others in the community were aware of literacy as a shared goal for each family they work with. That’s another way to meet families where they are. Not everyone has the time or capacity to attend a full literacy event or workshop, but if support for literacy comes from the places they’re already visiting in their community, that makes it much more impactful. Imagine a Philadelphia where literacy becomes part of the environment and part of the community itself.
One way literacy is expanding into the fabric of our city is with greater adoption of the Science of Reading. How can Read by 4th, ensure we stay at the forefront of implementing evidence-based practices here in Philadelphia in a way that is both effective and impactful?
I think it starts with supporting teachers—and everyone who supports them, whether that’s administrators, principals, instructional coaches, or others. It’s about not seeing these elements as totally distinct. We need to support educators in building the skills and knowledge required to teach the science of reading and to create structured literacy environments. At the same time, we must help them hold on to the things that inspired them to become teachers in the first place—like wanting to help kids learn to read and develop a love for books. Those two things don’t have to be in conflict.
Read by 4th has an important role to play in helping people in Philadelphia understand what the science of reading actually means. We can bridge the gap between traditional teaching methods and the science-backed, best practices that we now know are the most effective ways for kids to learn to read. By sharing strong messaging through all of our partners, we can support a more nuanced understanding of what it truly means to raise strong readers.
What are your thoughts on leading Philly's early literacy movement at this particular moment in time? What excites you? What scares you?
Yeah, I think yesterday really solidified it for me. We had this meeting about diverse books, and it was such a powerful reminder of how strong this movement is. It reinforced that, no matter who’s in charge or what obstacles come up, there are people in Philadelphia who are committed to getting diverse books into kids’ hands. They're showing up regardless of funding limitations, policies, or trends. They’re doing it because they care, because they’re driven to make it work.
And that feels even more important as we move into a political climate where we could face more book bans and barriers to promoting the diverse perspectives that are so vital to our communities. But in that meeting—and in so many conversations I have with our partners—I see a strong, resilient network of people dedicated to literacy in Philly. This movement is powered by people who believe in the mission, and that’s a really exciting and reassuring thing.
Do you mind sharing how you opened that meeting?
I shared something I’d recently said to my son, which has kind of become my new mantra. I told him, 'No matter who’s in charge, you are in charge of yourself. Be kind and be a helper.' That’s what I see happening in this work—people leading with kindness and a desire to help, regardless of the challenges.
How do you see literacy intersecting with broader issues of social justice and community resilience?
There are so many ways, right?
One clear example is the school-to-prison pipeline—it’s real. Literacy plays such a critical role in how we communicate, both with others and within the systems that structure our world. When someone struggles to communicate, whether it's understanding others or expressing themselves fully, it limits their self-determination.
But it goes beyond that. Literacy is also about joy and connection. When people find joy in reading, it opens up a world of possibilities—it helps them see themselves, understand others, and make connections to experiences both familiar and new. It can unlock opportunities that they didn’t know were possible for their lives. That sense of joy and connection is crucial for resilience.
When we foster a love of reading, when we build community around learning, we’re offering something transformative. It’s a powerful catalyst for social change, not just in literacy, but in so many areas.
With over 100 organizational partners and 1,000+ Reading Captains, the Read by 4th movement is mighty. What should partners know about you as a leader, a collaborator, and a fellow literacy advocate?
One thing I want partners to know is that I thrive on collaboration. I love problem-solving and acting as a thought partner. If you're feeling stuck, I'm a person to talk through challenges with. I'm not the type to just hand out solutions; instead, I enjoy helping people navigate the process and define the problem at hand. Sometimes, simply clarifying the issue is the first step in moving forward, and I find that process both helpful and rewarding. I look forward to working with individual partners and within groups to ask: What are we really trying to accomplish here? What have we learned from our efforts so far? And what are the new possibilities we can explore together? I’m excited to create space for those generative conversations.
If you had one message for Philadelphia about early literacy—whether it's to kids, parents, or partners—what would you shout from the rooftops?
Make it fun, even when it’s challenging.
We should be able to find joy in reading. Whether it’s playing rhyming games with your toddler, making sounds with your baby, or rereading a book you loved as a child to your own kids, or even revisiting a book from your twenties when you’re in your fifties and seeing how the characters or the story have changed—or how you’ve changed.
Literacy and learning can be tough at times, and we might get stuck in those challenges, but there’s also joy. So work to keep fun and joy at the heart.
