Culture of Literacy

The pathway to literacy begins in infancy. Through nurturing relationships—with lots of talking and supportive interaction—babies begin to learn the sounds of language and gain the social and emotional skills that research shows are the context for a child’s cognitive development. Talking while changing diapers, drawing pictures, telling stories, singing songs and reading books with young children illustrate a handful of the many everyday experiences that help children learn to talk, read and write.

Thrive by Five Washington’s Culture of Literacy program supports communities and families in promoting the literacy and early reading skills in children that set the foundation for school readiness and academic success. 

In 2010, Thrive implemented the Culture of Literacy (COL) initiative which sought to increase awareness of and engagement in early literacy in families with children ages birth to five years.  Thrive funded four regional early learning coalitions from across the Washington state, that serve populations considered at‐risk and traditionally underserved (e.g., rural, migrant, tribal).   

The funds support new and existing literacy programs including Reach Out and Read Washington, the statewide arm of a national pediatrician-based early literacy program, that gives new books to children and advice to parents. 

The regional early learning coalitions who were awarded grants as part of the Culture of Literacy Initiative included:

  • Inland Northwest Alliance for Early Learning (Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Stevens counties) who expanded Reach Out and Read to rural and tribal clinics as well as Every Child Ready to Read, and began a literacy bag program with local libraries.
  • Walla Walla Valley Early Learning Coalition (Walla Walla County) reached the more informal child care providers (a.k.a. Family Friend and Neighbor providers), teen parents and immigrant families with early literacy messaging, trainings and materials. They will expanded their Reach Out and Read programming to two new clinics in the area. 
  • Olympic-Kitsap Peninsulas Early Learning Coalition (Clallam, Jefferson, Mason and Kitsap counties) expanded Reach Out and Read in rural and tribal communities and provided mobile book buses to other rural communities on the Olympic peninsula, combining book distributions with training for parents and caregivers on effective ways to share a book with a child as an easy way to support literacy development
  • Funding from the state Department of Early Learning also made it possible for Thrive to provide a grant to Partnership for Children & Families (Chelan and Douglas counties) to support their expansion of Reach Out and Read and early other early literacy programs.

In 2011, Thrive’s funding supports both nationally recognized research-based programs and locally designed evidence-based programs. These early literacy programs vary in design and levels of intensity. Thrive also aims to bring Reach Out and Read to new communities.

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