The Santa Barbara Foundation has officially become the fiscal sponsor for the Santa Barbara Reading Coalition, marking a significant step in advocating for improved literacy outcomes for all public school children in Santa Barbara County.
The coalition is dedicated to helping achieve 90%+ grade level reading proficiency in Santa Barbara County through the Science of Reading. Today, less than 50% of public school kids can read at grade level by end of third grade and rarely catch up, the coalition reports.
The Reading Coalition meets regularly with members of the Santa Barbara Unified School District Board, educational community groups, business leaders, political figures, teachers, and union leaders.
Coalition members attend and speak out at School Board meetings, as well as going to and staging local events.
The group also documents proven strategies and best practices in districts that have successfully transitioned to the Science of Reading: https://sbreads.org .
Through its relationship with the Santa Barbara Foundation, the Reading Coalition will have access to vital nonprofit infrastructure, allowing it to receive tax-deductible donations, pursue grants, and scale its community impact with transparency and credibility.
“This fiscal sponsorship by the Santa Barbara Foundation is a huge honor,” said Andrew Salzman, executive director of the coalition. “Working with the foundation, we want to see Santa Barbara become the highest performing school district in the state.
“Our kids need strong reading skills to realize every chance for school and life success.”
“Teaching kids to read using instruction methods and practices tied to the Science of Reading has proven to be a successful strategy in similar communities across the U.S.,” said Steve Epstein, Reading Coalition chair.
“With the support of the Santa Barbara Foundation, we are better able to highlight those school districts that have successfully moved the needle on literacy and replicate those successes here,” Epstein said.
The Santa Barbara Foundation, known for championing projects that uplift community well-being and resilience, recognized the Santa Barbara Reading Coalition’s potential to foster much needed literacy improvements for the many children that are being failed by inadequate reading instruction efforts.
“We are a proud sponsor of key community-led opportunities and priorities, like the Santa Barbara Reading Coalition, through our fiscal sponsorship program,” said Tammy Sims Johnson, vice president of philanthropic services.
“One of our strategic goals is to create community impact by supporting community-led initiatives and the Reading Coalition’s work to promote literacy aligns with our priorities,” she said.
The Santa Barbara Reading Coalition will conduct a series of public events throughout the year, starting with one featuring Todd Collins of the California Reading Coalition and U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal, 2-4 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Central Library’s Faulkner Gallery.
Each event will champion instruction based on the science of reading, hosting speakers who have adopted proven strategies and best practices in districts demographically similar to Santa Barbara’s.
To inquire about supporting the Santa Barbara Reading Coalition with a donation, visit sbreads.org.
For more on the Santa Barbara Foundation and its community partnerships, visit SBFoundation.org.