Courtesy photo.
SANTA BARBARA — United Way of Santa Barbara County (UWSBC) and its partners have proudly introduced a new local collaboration focused on improving third grade reading proficiency, the No. 1 predictor of future school success.
Part of a national collaboration, the Santa Barbara County Campaign for Grade Level Reading kicked off at the Santa Barbara Public Library Sept. 28. The special event highlighted the comprehensive and coordinated set of services made to help children (from birth through third grade) and their parents. Approved by the national Campaign for Grade Level Reading in May 2017, the local initiative’s action plan aims, through strengthened partnerships, to accomplish much more than any single person or organization could on its own.
“The Campaign for Grade Level Reading recognizes that efforts to help children learn to read proficiently have the biggest impact when fortified early on, creating a strong base for success that lasts all through students’ lives,” said Steve Ortiz, UWSBC President & CEO. “We’re thrilled to be able to partner with so many organizations committed to the futures of local students, especially those from our lower-resource neighborhoods, and we’re excited to bring this to the community.”
The Campaign for Grade Level Reading is led locally by United Way of Santa Barbara County in partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Public Library, the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s A-OK Program, Peoples’ Self-Help Housing and the Turner Foundation.
Visit unitedwaysb.org for more information about United Way of Santa Barbara County.