WHEREAS, The Free Library’s Read by 4th initiative, founded in July of 2015, is an unprecedented citywide effort, in partnership with over 90 educational organizations across the City, to increase young people’s reading skills through targeted mentorships and educational materials, training programs for educators and community members, and holistic guidance for families with young children; and
WHEREAS, Evidence shows that students who are reading at grade level or above by the fourth grade are more likely to graduate from high school on time and also more likely to attend college. Furthermore, the inability to read at grade level by the fourth grade correlates with higher rates of school dropout, anti-social behavior, and incarceration later in life; and
WHEREAS, Recognizing the importance of keeping young students on track, Read by 4th set a goal of increasing the rate at which third graders read at grade level to at least 85% by 2020, more than double the 41.9% of third graders reading at grade level in the 2016-17 school year; and
WHEREAS, Read by 4th and its educational partners are dedicated to a strategic, holistic approach to child literacy; and
WHEREAS, By encouraging parents and other role models in the community to take an active role in their children’s education, Read by 4th has helped to create successful habits in young students and their families in neighborhoods across the City; and
WHEREAS, Understanding the importance of creating an educational community around young learners, Read by 4th has helped train 70 Reading Captains to serve as educational mentors in their neighborhoods, including 32 during the Summer of 2017 alone; and
WHEREAS, To ensure children do not regress in their reading skills while away from school, Read by 4th has established more than 120 Summer Read and Rise sites where the Organization has reached more than 3,200 Philadelphia students; and
WHEREAS, Read by 4th has worked diligently to expand its programs’ reach through partnerships with the Philadelphia School District, and has helped to highlight literacy resources that schools have to assist students; and
WHEREAS, Through their effort and dedication to improving the lives of young people across the City, Read by 4th is helping to lay the groundwork for a new generation of scholars and leaders in the City of Philadelphia; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Does hereby honor and recognize the Read by 4th initiative for its dedication to increasing educational attainment in the City of Philadelphia.
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