We know that a child’s earliest experiences set the foundation for all future learning and that 90 percent of brain development happens before age 5. When young children develop language skills and learn to read, they are better equipped to engage in learning and become empowered to learn.

Literacy skills also set children on a path to greater opportunity in their education and for their future selves. Literacy helps offset oppression and poverty, and when our systems ensure all learners acquire literacy skills, especially our youngest, then they are oriented toward justice.

Before the pandemic, only 46 percent of all students in Oregon were reading proficiently by the end of third grade. When kids don’t learn to read by third grade, the chances of dropping out of high school increase four fold (Hernandez, 2011). In response, the 2023 Oregon Legislature created its biggest early literacy investment in decades, the Early Literacy Success Initiative. We applaud this investment and believe it has the potential to change outcomes for students across the state.

Support for early learning and care providers, especially culturally-specific organizations, community-based organizations, and school districts, is essential. By prioritizing early literacy and using research-backed strategies, we expect to see measurable improvements in the coming years.

To support these efforts, Children’s Institute partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest (REL NW) to collect existing, readily accessible resources on evidence-based literacy practices for children ages birth through grade 3. https://childinst.org/earlyliteracyresources/