How does early childhood learning connect to third grade reading?

Nearly 7,000 babies are born in the Lehigh Valley every year, and almost half live in low-income families. Our most vulnerable children have the most limited exposure to high-quality childcare and will likely begin kindergarten 12-14 months behind their peers. Seven out of ten children in the Lehigh Valley are not ready for kindergarten, socially, emotionally or cognitively. Children who enter kindergarten not ready need additional supports to improve their language and literacy development to get them on track for reading well by the end of third grade. 


How do we address kindergarten readiness?