In 2020, the Kansas Health Foundation invested $2.7 million in funding for community-led initiatives across Kansas, with
a specific focus on improving early childhood literacy and Kindergarten readiness.
KHF selected eight priority school districts that have lower fourth grade literacy
rates, including Wichita USD 259, and provided backbone organizations with funding
to support early literacy efforts in each of these eight communities. The PPMC partners
with Opportunity Wichita to serve as the backbone organization for this effort locally,
and KHF’s funding has allowed us to build the Wichita Literacy Coalition, comprised
of a group of partners including childcare providers, healthcare providers, and community
organizations.
The WLC’s mission is to support community partners in their efforts to create equitable access to awareness, education, and wellness services, establishing a foundation of Kindergarten Readiness for children from birth to age five. Kindergarten Readiness is a major indicator of future academic success, so the coalition is focused specifically on early literacy to help set up Wichita’s youth to thrive personally, academically, and professionally in the long term.
In pursuit of this mission, the WLC has honed in on two areas of work over the past year: Policy & Programming and Access & Awareness. Below are a few accomplishments, current projects, and goals of each of our working groups.
Policy and Programming
- Supported efforts to eliminate late fees at Wichita Public Libraries--the measure is currently being considered as a part of the City’s budget process
- Working on efforts in partnership with Wichita Public Libraries to build mobile libraries and tiny libraries in areas of highest need throughout the City
- Developing content for early literacy awareness campaign in November 2022 to coincide with Kansas Reads to Preschoolers Month
Access and Awareness
- Created and distributed over 10,000 copies of Kindergarten Readiness checklist and over 8,000 copies of reading log brochures in multiple languages
- Supporting efforts by Storytime Village to create universal early literacy curriculum for childcare providers across the state
- Building communication plan for early literacy awareness campaign
"Wichita Public Library has benefitted from being a member of the Wichita Literacy Coalition in multiple ways: common goal development, understanding the entire landscape of amazing early learning service providers in our city, and building a strong network of agencies who all are committed to reading proficiencies,” said Jaime Prothro, Director of Libraries. “The insights and leadership from this group is going to make a long impact on the lives of our residents. We're stronger together.”
Highlights from our Wichita Literacy Coalition partners
The PPMC is lucky to work with 14 incredible partners through the Wichita Literacy Coalition. The coalition is working on some exciting things as a group and as individual organizations. Here are some highlights of the amazing work of just a few of our partners, including opportunities for you to get involved!
Storytime Village is a local nonprofit that inspires underserved children to read by providing them with free books and literacy resources. Storytime Village is hosting events every Thursday through August 11th to provide families and caregivers with resources to support Kindergarten Readiness—and a free dinner! You can RSVP to attend here.
The United Way has many programs that serve our community, including Read to Succeed. This effort is focused on helping third graders in Wichita Public Schools read at their grade level so that they are ready for academic success in fourth grade and beyond. Read to Succeed volunteers work in 24 schools across Wichita, spending about 30 minutes a week reading with individual students. Interested in signing up as a volunteer for the 2022-2023 school year? Check it out here!
Wesley Medical Center serves hundreds of families in Wichita, and many of their doctors have begun to share the Wichita Literacy Coalition’s Kindergarten Readiness checklist with families of their youngest patients. By providing families with the checklists as early as their child’s first newborn appointments, Wesley is helping parents and caregivers educate themselves on simple ways to support their children’s literacy from an early age. Check out the list in English and Spanish.
Interested in our work or becoming a partner in our coalition? Let us know! Email Larry at larry.daniels@wichita.edu.
The Wichita Literacy Coalition website is launching soon! Follow @WSUPPMC on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for updates.