Barbara Bush and Clinton Foundations Join Forces in New Literacy Campaign
Barbara Bush and Clinton Foundations Join Forces in New Literacy Campaign
Presidential families' collaboration transcends politics to help children in Pennsylvania.
Leaders from the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and the Clinton Foundation's Too Small to Fail initiative in partnership with the United Way announced Tuesday a commitment to create 250 new early childhood literacy opportunities across Pennsylvania.
Former First Lady Sec. Hillary Clinton made the announcement today at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Annual Meeting in New York City.
“We can all agree that children and families deserve to have access to as many opportunities for early learning as possible. This commitment will provide such opportunities, and we hope the Pennsylvania campaign is a model for other states to follow as we work to support children’s early literacy across the country,” said Clinton.
The campaign, which coincides with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, will focus on three main strategies—people (training “trusted messengers” to talk with families about the importance of talking, reading and singing with their children); places (transforming everyday spaces–such as laundromats, playgrounds, health clinics, grocery stores, hiking trails and community centers–into vibrant early learning opportunities); and resources (providing families with high-quality early learning resources and children’s books). Organizers expect their efforts to extend through the end of 2026.
In the United States, almost 60% of children start kindergarten unprepared, particularly in language and literacy skills, and 64% of the nation’s fourth-graders are reading below grade level, according to the 2022 The Nation’s Report Card.
The campaign will target Pennsylvania because research has shown that there is a need for literacy support in the state.
While Pennsylvania has created many programs for high-quality early learning opportunities for children across the state, 57% of families live in a childcare desert, according to the 2023 State of Early Care and Education. And, 61% of eligible children in Pennsylvania are unserved by high-quality, publicly funded pre-kindergarten. Research also shows that 46% of third graders in the state scored less than proficient in state testing and nearly one out of five adults have literacy and numeracy skills below an eighth grade level.
“These statistics show that it is imperative for communities to continue to support children’s success and healthy development through a range of early learning and literacy strategies and activities designed for children and families,” Andrew Roberts, president of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, told East Wing Magazine.
He also noted that the collaboration came about quickly, yet it was clear that there was alignment between the three organizations, particularly “the power of two first ladies [and] families partnering to champion education.”
“The longstanding commitment to literacy and education on the part of both the Bushes and the Clintons really speaks to the fact that it is a nonpartisan issue that transcends politics,” Roberts said.
The United Way of Pennsylvania will spearhead this campaign by engaging the expertise of their local United Ways to create learning opportunities in local communities. For the first year, the campaign will pilot in six local United Way regions including Titusville Region; Lycoming County; Wyoming Valley; Southern Alleghenies; Capital Region; and Bucks County.
Too Small to Fail and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, together will support the continuum of early literacy for children, with Too Small to Fail focusing on 0-5 year-olds and BBF focusing on school-aged children and their parents and caregivers, providing the campaign with resources to reach children at different ages and their families.
Initial funding to build this campaign was provided by the William Penn Foundation and Grable Foundation, and other partners include the Laundry Cares Foundation and Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network.