21
2016 Annual Report
The READY! for Kindergarten school read-
iness program engages families in their
child’s learning from birth to age 5. READY!
empowers parents with essential knowl-
edge, support, and resources to nurture
their child’s development in ways that foster
early literacy, language, math, reasoning,
and social-emotional skills.
READY! offers parent and caregiver work-
shops with learning tools. These workshops
equip parents and caregivers to help babies
and young children develop strong brain
connections, the foundation for learning.
The program is available in English and
Spanish and can be adapted for other
non-English speaking populations. Lessons
are flexible to meet local needs and oppor-
tunities including Head Start, preschools,
home visitor, and other community models.
In fiscal year 2016, there were 154 READY!
programs nationwide in 22 states. Fourteen
new programs were added during the fiscal
year, including the first READY! for Kinder-
garten program in Montana.
The Children’s Reading Foundation
welcomed Erin Dickey as the new
national program manager of READY!
for Kindergarten. Erin brings 11 years of
curriculum design experience to her role
at the foundation. Previously, she was a
middle and high school English and history
teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in
Education from the University of Idaho
and a Master of Science in Education from
Southern Oregon University.
Birth to Age 5:
Preparing Children for School Success
The READY! for Kindergarten app devel-
opment is nearing completion. By fall of
fiscal year 2017, the app, in both English
and Spanish, will be available to download
from the ReadingFoundation.org website
and on both the Apple App Store and
Google Play. The app, designed for mobile
devices, will contain skill development
games for children ages 2 to 5 based on
many of the READY! for Kindergarten Age
Level Targets©. The app is designed to be
played by a child with a parent or caregiver
to reinforce learning and give children extra
skill-building time. The app will also provide
parents with data on their child’s progress.