Cedar Rapids recognized for providing literacy education

CEDAR RAPIDS — The City of Cedar Rapids was recognized by a national nonprofit — the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading — for its efforts to provide literacy education and supports for immigrant, refugee, and minority families.

The City of Cedar Rapids was recognized for a partnership between Reading into Success, the Cedar Rapids Public Library, and the Young Parents Network, a provider of programs that meet the most critical needs of thousands of families in the community.

Reading into Success is the local Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. It focuses on early school success and kindergarten readiness, summer learning, and parents as partners.

As part of efforts to help parents and caregivers see themselves as a child’s first teacher, the organizations joined together to provide literacy education and supports for immigrant, refugee, and minority families.

“Through our collaborative partners in the community, we can make a larger impact for children and families,” said Elizabeth Yusko, Cedar Rapids Public Library literacy coordinator and coordinator of Reading into Success. “Investing early in a child’s future will ultimately lead to stronger and more productive members of society. I call that a win! Being recognized for this work proves we are making a positive impact in our community.”

Twelve sessions were held in two formats to help parents and caregivers realize their power as their child’s first teacher. Nine sessions were after‐school, with preschool families invited to eat dinner, listen to stories and complete a literacy-based craft together. Three sessions were held within the structure of the Young Parents Network family classes. Families also took home two books each session to expand their home library.

Three staff members from the Cedar Rapids Public Library and Reading into Success provided instruction and resources covering school success, child development practices, and early literacy techniques. Families received an engagement kit at the end of the three sessions.

The program was supported by Linn County Early Childhood Iowa and the Linn County DECAT board. The library was awarded $25,000 through a grant process last year as a pilot, and the funding continues this fiscal year.

The city was recognized with Pacesetter Honors this year, the theme of which was “moving the needle in impact areas.” The categories are:

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a collaborative effort of nonprofit partners, business leaders, government agencies, states and communities across the nation to ensure that many more children from low-income families succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career and active citizenship.

“It indeed is time to move the needle in impact areas and these Pacesetter Communities demonstrate how mobilized communities are succeeding,” said Ralph Smith, managing director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. “Let us all learn and grow from recognizing and understanding what they’ve accomplished. We applaud the civic leaders and local funders whose time, talent, energy and imagination have fueled progress in these Pacesetter Communities.”

Cedar Rapids was also recognized with a Pacesetter Honor in 2022 for efforts supporting student success during the twin crises of the derecho in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

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