Pre-K Reading and Literacy Exposure

    Today I got to speak with Principal Russell about what makes Taft Elementary distinct.  

    I’m committed to meeting with each principal to hear their perspective and develop a firsthand understanding of the character and culture of every school. So far, I’ve met with Principal Koenecke at Alliance Charter and Principal Russell at Taft Elementary. I aim to keep these conversations open and conversational, giving principals the space to share what they most want me to understand.

    That said, I also recognize it’s a two-way dialogue, and there are a couple of questions I plan to ask consistently at each school:

• “My goal in visiting each school during this campaign is to understand its identity and carry that impression with me if elected. With that in mind, what would you most want me to see and know as a potential board member?”
• “As a potential board member, what should I keep in mind when considering policy decisions that come before the board—and how do those decisions show up in real classrooms?”

    In my conversation with Principal Russell, she described how Taft hosts family and community events designed to build early reading and literacy exposure—even for children under age five. She noted that some students arrive at kindergarten with limited reading readiness because they haven’t had consistent literacy experiences at home during those formative 0–5 years.

    I found that insight compelling. The earlier we can provide meaningful literacy opportunities, the better. In 2026, it feels unfortunate that—despite all the efficiencies technology has promised—many families still struggle to carve out time for shared reading. That led me to wonder how these kinds of activities might be expanded to reach more families more often.

    I asked whether she had considered a model where similar literacy events could occur daily across the district, with elementary teachers sharing responsibility for hosting. Off the cuff, I suggested the public library as a possible venue, noting that each teacher might only need to participate once or twice a year to create near-daily offerings. Principal Russell thoughtfully pointed out a key barrier: transportation. For many families—especially those with limited vehicle access—holding events at Taft works precisely because it’s a familiar and easily accessible place for them to gather. 

    Tonight I keep coming back to that point. The success of these events seems rooted in their locality—families participate because the activities happen in a place that’s familiar and accessible. That makes me wonder: what if locality became the guiding principle for expanding their frequency?

    Spitballing here: could we invite community members who live within an elementary school’s boundaries to host neighborhood story times? A retiree reading Dr. Seuss aloud to neighborhood children, for example, might not only support early literacy but also strengthen trust and connection among families.

    There may also be a role for literacy coaches to support these volunteers—offering guidance on effective read-aloud strategies and simple pedagogical practices that enrich the experience. And if participation were strong, perhaps there could even be modest incentives: families could register attendance, and hosts might receive a small stipend tied to engagement.

    At its heart, the idea is to explore whether hyper-local, community-led literacy moments could complement school-based efforts—making early reading exposure more frequent, accessible, and relational. 

    Before gathering feedback—and if you’re reading this, I’d genuinely welcome your thoughts—here’s one way I might imagine structuring the program:

• Participation would be open to families living within each elementary school’s attendance boundary.
• Books would be selected or approved by the school to ensure quality and age-appropriate content.
• Hosts would be called “Readers” rather than volunteers, reflecting the possibility of modest incentives.
• Readers would need to reside within the same elementary school boundary to preserve the program’s local, neighborhood feel.
• All Readers would complete a vetting process, similar to existing school volunteer screening, to ensure student safety.
• Readers would receive basic training and support from the school, equipping them with simple, effective read-aloud strategies.

    My analytical side naturally starts thinking about how to encourage strong participation and consistent turnout for our Readers. One possible model would be a simple registration system in which Readers receive $1 per validated attendee, capped at a fixed amount per session.

    For example, if we capped the per-session payout at $20 and offered read-aloud sessions four nights a week across a 171-day school year, the theoretical maximum annual cost would be approximately $2,736. That figure represents a true upper bound—it assumes every available slot is filled and every session reaches the cap.

    More realistically, a pilot model of once per week per elementary school would be a prudent starting point. Over roughly 34 weeks in a school year, that would total about $684 per school annually.

    

    Is it money well spent? Would it meaningfully improve literacy in our community? I don’t know for certain. But it could create a platform that invites neighbors to take an active role in supporting early learning and building a shared commitment to our children’s education.  Just an idea.