An approach to literacy in early childhood born here in Atlanta is now helping transform lives across the globe.
Through the Read Right from the Start program, a partnership between United Way of Greater Atlanta, the CHASE Fund, United Way of Jamaica, and the Atlanta Speech School’s Rollins Center for Language and Literacy, hundreds of early childhood educators have received training grounded in evidence-based literacy practices. This early investment in educator development helped establish the framework for our Literacy and Justice for All approach currently building stronger readers across Greater Atlanta.
“Three years ago, this initiative began with a shared vision that every child in Jamaica deserves an opportunity to become a confident reader, a lifelong learner, and to live a choice-filled life — one that they choose, not one that is determined for them,” said Cori Dickens-Cain, Associate Vice President of Strong Learners at United Way of Greater Atlanta.
This summer, Cori traveled to Jamaica with a team from the Rollins Center to celebrate the graduation of the program’s third cohort of 160 educators, who will return to their schools equipped to improve literacy outcomes for countless students.
The earliest years of learning matter most
The foundation for strong literacy skills starts being built long before children enter elementary school, but ensuring access to high-quality early learning experiences remains a challenge in many communities.
According to United Way of Jamaica, 85% of early childhood institutions are not compliant with their Early Childhood Commission’s standards. Here in Greater Atlanta, we face similar challenges. According to our partner PAACT, only about a third of Atlanta’s early learning centers participate in Georgia’s Quality Rated credentialing system, which signals a commitment to quality early childhood education.
Research shows that children who attend quality early learning programs are more likely to graduate from high school, secure employment, and earn higher wages as adults.
Both United Way of Greater Atlanta and United Way of Jamaica work to ensure children receive strong instruction during their most formative years. And a key part of that success is helping children build strong language skills and literacy in early childhood.
Student success begins with teachers
Teachers have one of the greatest impacts on student achievement. Read Right from the Start focuses on strengthening educator knowledge and classroom practice. During each cohort, early childhood educators learned from a curriculum the Rollins Center and funded by United Way of Greater Atlanta, through both in-person and virtual trainings.
Educators learned strategies for interactive classroom read-alouds, language development, and the Science of Reading, phonics-based instruction that helps lay the foundation for future reading success.
Even children as young as three to six can benefit from the science of reading approach long before they begin reading independently.
“We are proud that United Way of Greater Atlanta can serve as a bridge, connecting the expertise of the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy with the leadership of the United Way of Jamaica and the Early Childhood Commission. Together, we have worked to build teacher capacity, strengthen instructional practice, and advance the Science of Reading across the island,” said Cori.
During the visit, Cori and the rest of the Atlanta team were also able to visit schools to see the Read Right from the Start program in action at local schools in Jamaica.
The program graduates, many of whom bring decades of experience to the classroom, described the experience as changing how they approach early learning.
“I was introduced to the program a few years ago and have tried implementing it in my school, and I must say to everyone that it works. I have seen in my institution where my kids’ vocabulary has improved, their conversations have improved, and my teachers can testify too,” said program graduate Claudette Card Cannigan, Principal of Hollywood Kindergarten and Early Development Centre in Jamaica. “It’s not about us. It’s about Jamaica…We want all of our kids to be reading.”
Incubated in Atlanta, inspiring change around the world
The work in Jamaica grew out of literacy innovations developed through United Way of Greater Atlanta’s partnership with the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy. Together, the organizations support children and families from before birth through the early elementary years while creating proven approaches that can be replicated in other communities.
One innovative program produced by our partnership, Talk with Me Baby, provides language and literacy coaching to parents from their prenatal visits, and then provides developmentally appropriate resources and books to parents at pediatric checkups until their children reach school age.
And today in Greater Atlanta, our Literacy and Justice for All initiative trains teachers on the Science of Reading and puts reading specialists in classrooms across Greater Atlanta. Children of all backgrounds, from those with learning differences to multilingual learners, have found success in the program. The success of that work demonstrates how effective solutions developed locally can create impact far beyond our region.
Together, our literacy in early childhood initiatives are building a pipeline of reading support for children across every stage of development, so they can grow into strong readers, and ultimately, stronger leaders.
Reading is not simply another subject. Reading is the foundation upon which all future learning is built,” said Cori. “When children learn to read proficiently, they are better positioned to succeed in school, graduate prepared for the future, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.”
We’re proud to see this commitment to literacy reaching children and educators through partnerships with fellow United Ways.
If you’d like to help shape stronger readers, teachers, and communities here in Greater Atlanta, you can donate to support our work today — you never know how far your impact can reach.