LEARN.
Fostering a love of reading among all Oakland children with a goal of closing the grade level reading gap.
$4.5 million invested in literacy programming and 500,000 books distributed.
85% of Black and Latino/a
elementary school students in Oakland are not reading at grade level
CHALLENGE
We’re in the midst of a major literacy crisis in America. Nationwide, only 1 in 3 kids are reading at grade level by the end of third grade. In the last 10 years, progress for literacy rates in Oakland has been slow and incremental. In order for the next generation of Oakland youth to succeed, we must do more to make sure they are prepared. In Oakland, after more than a year of distance learning, 85% of Black and Latino/a elementary school students are not reading at grade level. Research shows reading proficiency by the end of third grade is a key predictor for high school graduation and career success.
While significant attention focuses on reading in elementary schools, the journey to becoming a reader begins at birth and must be a priority in a child’s first years. Nationally, 80% of children that are behind in reading when they enter kindergarten never catch up. In Oakland, 65% of kids entered kindergarten already behind and considered “not fully ready to learn.” And although the literacy crisis predates the pandemic, the effects of distance learning only intensified the problem, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable kids.
VISION
Together with Oakland Unified School District and respected community organizations who have worked to improve these outcomes for years, we are aligned around a common vision and five-year strategy to dramatically increase the rates of kindergarten readiness and third grade reading levels, from 35% and 37%, respectively, with a particular focus on Black and Latino/a kids.
Literacy is the focus of our “Learn” pillar, and with the help of Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s voices and platforms, Eat. Learn. Play. is uniquely positioned to convene and amplify a collective effort in Oakland to support stronger reading outcomes for its kids. As exemplified in our hunger relief work during the pandemic, our strength lies in our ability to coordinate and supercharge multi-sector partners to take bold action around urgent community issues.
OUR WORK
Create a culture of reading in Oakland to grow and inspire the next generation of young readers
Eat. Learn Play. Little Town Library
With the launch of our newest literacy initiative, Eat. Learn. Play. is constructing and maintaining 150 new Little Town Libraries in under-resourced areas of Oakland, meeting kids and families where they are, and encouraging neighborhood book sharing to develop children’s passion for reading. Working alongside devoted community partners, Eat. Learn. Play. will distribute more than 50,000 free books throughout the community as part of this program to ensure Oakland kids can read anywhere and everywhere. The new program will extend the reach of this valuable community tool to flatland communities such as East and West Oakland, Fruitvale, and Chinatown that have historically been under-resourced.
“Reading is a crucial building block to academic success and unlocking lifelong opportunities, which is why we’ve made early literacy the focus of our LEARN pillar. We want to encourage kids to read by making it accessible, fun and inspirational. We hope that these free, book-sharing libraries will help plant the seeds needed to continue growing a culture of literacy for the next generation in Oakland.”
- Stephen and Ayesha Curry
KEY EFFORTS IN THE FIRST YEAR
Eat. Learn. Play. understands that achieving these ambitious goals will require broad collaboration with the community and flexibility to adapt our strategy and tactics based on feedback. We launched our literacy efforts on World Literacy Day with a commitment to providing half a million free, high-quality and culturally appropriate books for Oakland students in our first year.
FREE BOOK DISTRIBUTION TO OAKLAND STUDENTS
As part of our overall literacy focus Eat. Learn. Play. delivering 500,000 books throughout the community in partnership with a broad coalition of partners, including Oakland Unified School District, Oakland Literacy Coalition, Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development, community organizations, hospitals and pediatricians’ offices, dozens of small businesses, and more. These age-appropriate books will prioritize stories that mirror the students’ daily lives, encouraging them to explore their identities with curiosity and kindness, and others that provide windows to new perspectives and possibilities.
EAT. LEARN. PLAY. BUS
We launched our new, first-of-its-kind Eat. Learn. Play. Bus as a mobile resource center to distribute more than 100,000 books and other educational resources to kids and families where they are most often, including at Oakland Unified Schools, summer camps, food distribution sites, preschools, and special community events like Christmas with the Currys. The driver's side features a free bookstore that holds thousands of age-and-culturally appropriate books for Oakland children.
The bus' bookstore is being curated with the help of the Oakland Literacy Coalition, Literati, Oakland Public Library and other literacy partners. Together, we will identify culturally appropriate stories that mirror students' daily lives, encouraging them to explore their identities with curiosity and kindness and others that provide windows to new perspectives and possibilities.
Community Partners
Oakland Unified School District, Oakland Parks, Recreation & Youth Development, Oakland Literacy Coalition, First 5 Alameda County, Kaiser Permanente, Donors Choose, Oakland Public Library, and Literati.