Parents Leading the Way for Early Literacy

Early literacy is one of the most critical indicators of long-term academic success. That’s why our team is deeply committed to supporting young readers by engaging one of the most powerful forces in a child’s life: their families. This month, we are highlighting how parent engagement is helping to move the needle on early literacy in Racine and how our community is coming together to support this work.

Parent Grade Leads, Lunch and Learns, and Reading Resources

In 2024, we launched our Parent Grade Lead (PGL) initiative at Knapp Elementary. Our PGLs are local parents who serve as connectors between families and schools, and as advocates for literacy-focused resources and conversations in the community.

Our current Parent Grade Leads are Falanda for 2nd grade, Braeley for 3rd, and Angela for 4th. Together, they have helped lead six “Lunch and Learn” events for Knapp families this school year. Social emotional learning was the focus for 2nd grade, while 3rd grade focused on reading, and 4th grade on spelling. These events are casual, collaborative gatherings where parents can build relationships with teachers, learn about reading benchmarks, and gain practical strategies for supporting literacy at home. 

To make informed decisions for their children, families need both access to data and the confidence to use and understand it. That is why we have offered data literacy training as part of our parent engagement strategy. After our recent Lunch and Learn sessions, we surveyed participants to hear how connected they felt to their child’s learning and how engaged they were. 

• Over 80% of parents reported feeling very connected to their child’s learning.

• More than 86% of parents rated the classroom activity as highly engaging.

• Nearly all surveyed participants express interest in participating in future classroom events.

One parent said, “I enjoyed the ability to engage with more than one student, the inclusiveness let me meet more of my sons’ friends.” Another said, “I really appreciate the effort put forth to involve us as parents. I am so grateful to be a part of the Knapp community.”

Additionally, Racine Unified’s Scholastic Series is helping students build home libraries and encouraging a love of reading both at school and at home. This program gives families access to high-quality, culturally relevant books and has been a great complement to parent engagement work.

Advocating for Child Care and Early Learning

On April 16th, our Parent Grade Leads and community engagement team joined Milwaukee Succeeds and headed to Madison for Child Care Advocacy Day to speak up about the importance of accessible early childhood education in Wisconsin. Our Parent Grade Leads were able to advocate for increased state investment in child care and support legislation that strengthens early learning systems across the state.

They also had the opportunity to network with other engaged parents and educators from across Wisconsin and connect directly with legislative representatives to share their experiences and priorities as caregivers and community leaders. 

Looking Ahead

Right now, our Parent Grade Lead initiative is based at Knapp Elementary, but our vision is to expand it to more schools across Racine. We believe every family should have access to these resources, relationships, and opportunities to lead.

Early literacy is not just about reading levels and report cards. It is about building a community where every child is set up to thrive. We are so grateful to the parents, educators, and partners who are making that vision real.

Interested in becoming a Parent Grade Lead or community leader/advocate?

Connect with our Community Engagement Manager, Leanna Jones at leanna.jones@career2cradle.org to learn more about how you can get involved.