Our History

2002 - READY! for Kindergarten Is Created, Sets Age-Appropriate Learning Targets

The READY! for Kindergarten school readiness program is launched to engage parents and caregivers of children from birth to age five in pre-kindergarten learning and development activities. READY! workshops provide parents and caregivers with the knowledge, tools, and techniques to be the most effective teachers they can be to nurture a child’s learning, so they have skills necessary on day one of kindergarten.

2010 - Research Again Proves Effectiveness of the READY! for Kindergarten Program

Another independent research study shows students of families exposed to READY! for Kindergarten had statistically significant higher scores on a pre-reading letter naming test than did those whose families were not exposed to READY! (average scores were 16.35 and 9.40 respectively). This study took place in the Othello School District in Washington state.

2012 - The Children’s Reading Foundation Receives Innovative Approaches to Literacy Grant

The Children’s Reading Foundation is awarded a $2.87 million federal grant to expand programming to 19 high-need school districts in Illinois, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington, Tennessee, Indiana, and Michigan.

2014 - The Children’s Reading Foundation Receives Second Innovative Approaches to Literacy Grant

The U.S. Department of Education awards The Children’s Reading Foundation a $3.8 million federal grant to expand programming to 16 high-poverty school districts and communities. States include Oregon, Washington, Idaho, New Mexico, Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, and Maryland.

2019 - National School Readiness Study

The Children’s Reading Foundation releases a national school readiness study, “Readiness for Entering Kindergarten: The Impact on Future Academic Achievement.” The study establishes children’s kindergarten starting points predict their academic achievement in fifth grade and beyond.

The findings have far-reaching implications as communities struggle to close the achievement gap. The research indicates that if families, schools, and communities focus on a child’s early learning in the years before kindergarten, the achievement gap will narrow significantly.

The study is available ReadingFoundation.org/Research.

2023 - Resource Hub Redesigned & Relaunched Providing Free Valuable Resources to Children, Parents & Caregivers

To continue to support families and caregivers year-round, free thematic resources like booklists, activity sheets, crafts, games, and reading tips are provided to help meet the goal of Reading Together 20 Minutes Every Day^TM and Playing With a Purpose^TM. Click to learn more.