This year marks the five-year anniversary of Mobilizing Literacy and its impacts in the local area.
Beginning in 2016, Mobilizing Literacy now works with 11 different school districts within Lyon, Coffey and Osage counties. The program was the product of a five-year $2 million grant awarded to the Emporia State Teacher’s College by the WS and EC Jones Testamentary Trust.
The main mission of the program is to increase literacy amongst Kindergarten-12th grade students and it’s safe to say it has accomplished that mission as according to a recent news release, there has been a 34 percent rise in the number of students attending preschool with over 86 percent of kindergartners in the fall of 2020 having attended a pre-k program of some kind.
USD 253 Superintendent Allison Anderson-Harder says in the same release, “Children, parents and providers have been given books, resources, training, guidance and support to increase not only children’s literacy skills, but help parents better understand how important they are as their children’s first teacher now and throughout their lives.”
At this time, Mobilizing Literacy continues its focus on kindergarten readiness as well as providing summer learning opportunities developed to help support readiness and improve collaboration amongst childcare providers, preschool and kindergarten teachers.
More information on the program can be found by visiting emporia.edu.
You can find a full list of districts served by Mobilizing Literacy below:
Coffey County
USD 243 Lebo-Waverly
USD 244 Burlington
USD 245 Southern Coffey County
Lyon County
USD 251 North Lyon County
USD 252 Southern Lyon County
USD 253 Emporia
Osage County
USD 421 Lyndon
USD 420 Osage City
USD 434 Santa Fe Trail
USD 454 Burlingame
USD 456 Marais des Cygnes Valley
