READING IS POWER

An increased effort to get the help of parents and others in the community is key to expanding the drive to improve third-graders’ reading ability.

The Early Literacy Office will coordinate a full scale push toward boosting third grade reading proficiency by aligning the work of the Holyoke Public School system with that of community partners.

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The Holyoke Early Childhood Literacy Task Force (The ECL) is the coordinating organization for Holyoke’s 85% Reading Campaign.
 

Our mission is as follows:

The single most critical issue facing the City of Holyoke and its public schools is the inability of many of our students to read with comprehension on grade level by the end of the third grade. It is the mission of this Task Force to engage the entire community in creating a culture of literacy in Holyoke. We support the goal adopted by the Holyoke School Committee that 85% of all Holyoke children be proficient readers by the end of third grade by 2014. To meet this goal, we must align the work of community organizations, families, the school system and community education providers toward a common goal. Together we will create a community of readers!

Purpose

The Holyoke Early Literacy Initiative is a city-wide call to action to ensure all children in Holyoke are proficient readers by the end of grade 3. The Initiative, led by the Mayor of Holyoke, the Superintendent of Holyoke Public Schools (HPS) and the Holyoke School Committee, is engaging and aligning all key stakeholders and community resources to develop and implement the goals and strategic action plan of the Holyoke Early Literacy Task Force.  Building on the success of past initiatives and the current work within the Holyoke Public School System this initiative, Reading is Power: Leer es Poder, is focused on establishing a city-wide understanding of the importance of literacy and a commitment to ensure all children have this critical foundational skill.

Goal 

85% of HPS 3^rd graders will be reading at grade proficient level by 2014

Timeline

The Initiative will focus on four key activities in 2013:

• Holyoke Early Literacy Blueprint 
• Strategic marketing in support of early literacy 
• Research and evaluation in support of early literacy
• Program development 

Our Design Team

Mayor Alex Morse, City of Holyoke, Chair

Superintendent David Dupont, Holyoke Public Schools

Michael Moriarty, Esq., Holyoke School Committee  

Mary Walachy, Executive Director, Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation

Sylvia de Haas Phillips, Senior Vice President, United Way of Pioneer Valley

Betty Medina, Executive Director, Enlace de Familia

Jay Breines, Executive Director, Holyoke Health Center

Kathy Anderson, President, Holyoke Chamber of Commerce

Mary Curro, Early Literacy Coordinator, Holyoke Public Schools

Steve Huntley, Executive Director, Valley Opportunity Council

Rosalie Deane, Executive Director, Holyoke Housing Authority

Eileen Cavanaugh, Executive Director, Holyoke Boys & Girls Club

Coordinator:  Andrew Melendez, Early Literacy Coordinator, Office of the Mayor

Facilitator: Gibran Rivera, Interaction Institute for Social Change