Early Literacy, Lifetime Success

This story is part of our Transforming Together series, which highlights 20 key moments in our Foundation’s first 20 years. Read more stories in the series.

Khalea Neal and Mariah Garner have a unique view into children’s lives. As Dubuque public school teachers, they see how barriers set children up for long-term learning challenges.

“Our families have a lot of obstacles to tackle before academics, such as access to technology, language barriers, and overall consistency in the home,” they say. “Many students come to school with a lot of struggles. We’re helping them cope while also teaching them.”

Their experiences underscore a major challenge: Minority families and families in generational poverty are disproportionately impacted by issues that negatively affect children’s learning and development.

No matter how well-resourced, schools alone cannot solve these problems. That means children’s well-being is the responsibility of all of us. How can teachers tend to students’ social-emotional needs? How can parents support positive development? How do we ensure families can access the internet and other resources?

Addressing these challenges takes a holistic approach and a passion for nurturing new generations. At the Community Foundation, our passion shines through Every Child Reads, which drives early literacy success and builds a foundation for long-term academic achievement.

Every Child Reads is a collaborative effort among parents, educators, nonprofits and civic leaders in the Dubuque region to ensure that all children succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career and active citizenship. The Community Foundation launched the initiative in 2012, answering a call to action by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Thanks to a grant from an anonymous donor, the initiative expanded in 2014 into Dyersville and Jackson County, while an expansion Jones County followed in 2021.

“Our main goal is to support reading proficiency by the end of third grade, which is a key indicator of success later in school,” says Mary Jo Jean-Francois, vice president of impact at the Community Foundation.

Students who don’t read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without a diploma than proficient readers. Furthermore, the graduation failure rate for children who cannot read proficiently and are poor for at least one year is more than six times the rate for all proficient readers.

This work focuses on four areas that serve as the foundation of academic achievement: School attendance, school readiness, summer learning and access to books. Since its early days, Every Child Reads has supported a “Summer Adventure” learning opportunity with local partners like St. Mark Youth Enrichment. In more recent years, efforts have expanded to include a social-emotional learning initiative with St. Mark and the Dubuque Dream Center, a summer book partnership with numerous summer camp providers, and a massive book distribution effort that put 86,000 books into the hands of local children in 2022. The Community Foundation also co-wrote and published two children’s books focused on healthy habits and school attendance, both of which were translated into Spanish and Marshallese.

“Facing adversity requires all community members to think and act like parents: love, commit and advocate,” says Nancy Van Milligen, president and CEO of the Community Foundation. “It’s the approach teachers like Khalea and Mariah take, and it’s the approach the Foundation takes to help children through challenging times today and long into the future.”