Early Literacy is Crucial to Student Success

Reading regularly with young children stimulates optimal patterns of brain development and strengthens parent-child relationships at a critical time in child development, which, in turn, builds language, literacy, and social-emotional skills that last a lifetime. 

A recent national study, “Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation,” found:

  • One in six children who are not reading proficiently in third grade do not graduate from high school on time, a rate four times greater than that for proficient readers.
  • The rates are highest for the low, below-basic readers: 23 percent of these children drop out or fail to finish high school on time, compared to 9 percent of children with basic reading skills and 4 percent of proficient readers.
  • The below-basic readers account for a third of the sample but three-fifths of the students who do not graduate.

Here are some great resources for your family on Early Literacy:
Every Child Ready to Read
American Academy of Pediatrics – Top Literacy Tips for Families
Books Build Connections Toolkit
Talking is Teaching – Early Literacy


Door County participates in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program!

This is a locally funded program that mails a free book to the home of any child residing in Door County from birth up until the month of their 5th birthday. Learn more and sign-up here.

Want to give the gift of reading to a Door County child? For a $25 donation, you can give the gift of reading for one whole year to a Door County child. To get all the details about this gift giving program click here.


Reading with your child by age

  • Sturgeon Bay Blessing Boxes – there are little blessing boxes around Sturgeon Bay that have non-perishable food items and personal care items available for free. Just walk up and take what you need. Here is a map of blessing box locations. Sturgeon Bay Blessing Boxes
  • Affordable Preventative Vet Pop Up Clinic – For dogs and cats — Microchipping, vaccinations, testing & deworming, heartworm prevention, flea & tick medications are available at Tractor Supply in Sturgeon Bay through PetVet at very reasonable pricing. see full details on the PetVet website.

Join the partnership

The Partnership is open to any Door County Community member. You are especially encouraged to attend our quarterly Partnership meetings to hear what the Partnership has been working on.