Andy Aligne, MD, MPH, Director of the Hoekelman Center
Learning begins long before a child enters school. The reading development foundation built in the early grades — kindergarten, first, second and third grade — plays a crucial role in increasing opportunities for all youth.
In 2020, the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Hoekelman Center conducted interviews with parents and classroom teachers to learn how to increase literacy in the community. They gathered data from parents of children aged 1-5 years to assess what they had in their homes and classrooms to teach children how to read. What they discovered is racial and economic disparities in literacy affects children nationally and locally. In areas of concentrated poverty, the numbers are more disparate. Even after one year of pre-K, less than 50% of Rochester children are ready for kindergarten.
Funded by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, the Joy of Literacy Initiative (JOLI) provides early literacy resources for pre-k classrooms and the home that help young children learn about the alphabet through frequent exposure. This is a three-prong intervention including the kits, professional development for teachers, and raising community awareness on the science of reading. While early results have been promising, a rigorous evaluation has not yet been completed. To date, more than 1,000 toolkits have been distributed to 15 Rochester City School District (RCSD) and community-based sites since 2021.
The Hoekelman Center is a national leader for education in community health and advocacy with a focus on the social determinants of health. Literacy, as one of the most important social determinants of health, is an ongoing area of interest. Currently, the center is partnering with Rochester Public Library, PBS Kids, Hipocampo Children’s Books, Rochester Area Community Foundation, Max and Marian Farash Foundation, Wilson Community Pediatrics Fund, families, pre-k teachers, Rochester City School District, Generations Child Care, Ibero American Action League, Western NY Education Alliance, Ed Trust NY, Warner School of Education to facilitate a systemic adoption of joyful, practical, science-based literacy practices. The goal is for high early literacy to become the norm, setting up our children for a lifetime of improved health outcomes.
In a recent interview, Dr. Eva Thomas, Executive Director of Early Childhood at RCSD said, “My big hope and dream is to create a literacy city, right? I think JOLI is a win-win for everyone: for our programs, for our professionals, for our scholars, and also for our parents.”
Books for the toolkit are purchased from Hipocampo Children’s Books in English and Spanish and are culturally relevant.
At ROC the Future Alliance, kindergarten readiness and early grade literacy are two milestones that we measure. Our goal, as outlined in our Common Agenda, is to ensure that 80% of children, ages 2-5, will be kindergarten ready. Specifically, we aim to improve kindergarten readiness for 720 more children by 2027 through our Wildly Important Goal.
Our partners at StriveTogether have developed a Kindergarten Readiness Playbook and Early Grade Literacy Playbook. The years from birth to kindergarten are foundational. Research shows that children who are ready for kindergarten are far more likely to thrive in life. Likewise, children who develop strong numeracy and reading skills are far more likely to excel in school and succeed in the future.
Both resources are a comprehensive guide to the latest research on best practices in supporting early learners.
We invite you to explore each playbook for tools to identify opportunities, co-design effective strategies with your organization and build support for collective investment in early education
Kindergarten Readiness Playbook Early Grade Reading Playbook