Community Literacy

Literacy is an important part of assuring that children have every opportunity as they grow. Research indicates that if a child is not at grade level reading by the 3rd grade, they will have a more difficult time attaining grade level standards later in life. With this in mind, the Community Literacy Committee agreed to develop a county-wide plan with the following objectives:

To provide consistency across districts in the expectations for reading and pre-reading skills in grades K, 1, 2 and 3.
To provide common assessments for Kindergarten and Grade 1 so that students, parents, teachers and the community understand the level of proficiency students should strive for to be considered “on grade level” at the end of each year (Kindergarten and Grade 1).
To build a common language around the skills necessary for Grades 2 and 3 students to be considered “on grade level” in reading at the end of each year (Grade 2 and 3).

Read for the Record

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record brings together millions of people each year in classrooms, libraries, community centers, and homes across the US. This annual campaign highlights the importance of building early literacy and language skills for every child. The earlier children develop these skills, the more likely they are to succeed in school.

First 5 Shasta and Reach Higher Shasta work together to coordinate Shasta County’s participation in this event, providing the book and other resources for over 150 readings at free public story times and in classrooms, parks, and child care centers in the community. All local adults and children gathering to Read for the Record will help set a new record for shared reading with children.

Little Free Libraries

Little Free Libraries provide literacy opportunities for families and communities worldwide. Reach Higher Shasta, in partnership with the City of Redding, is proud to present Shasta County’s Little Free Libraries. Books for all ages can be found in our Little Free Libraries throughout Shasta County. Anyone can borrow books, completely free of charge. To see the locations of our Little Free Libraries, visit our Little Free Libraries Map.

Interested in hosting a Little Free Library in your neighborhood?

Visit Little Free Libraries for more information.

California Reading & Literacy Project

Since 2016, Reach Higher Shasta has sponsored the California Reading & Literacy Project (CRLP) in Shasta County. CRLP trains K-3 on the best instructional practices for literacy development and language skills. In the past three years, CRLP has trained over 185 teachers.

Training teachers through CRLP has been shown to improve student literacy outcomes. To see more data on the effectiveness of CRLP, visit our impact page.