Ready to Read Corps is a first-of-its-kind initiative that takes our Ready to Read program, the foundation of our reading programs, out of the library and into communities to prepare kids for kindergarten. The primary focus is to seek out parents and caregivers of children who don't come to the library, organize workshops that focus on six pre-reading skills necessary for early literacy, and provide mobile services such as checking out books and signing up children and adults for library cards.

The road to the development of the Ready to Read Corps began in 2001 while Columbus Metropolitan Library staff attended the Public Library Association’s Symposium. In 2004, all of our youth services staff were trained to integrate Ready to Read Skills into baby, toddler and preschool storytimes. In 2005, we added parent/caregiver workshops at selected childcare sites as a second aspect to the Ready to Read initiative. Additional momentum began in 2007 when the United Way funded a partnership with us and Action for Children. This enabled us to provide Ready to Read workshops to 1,320 parents and caregivers at 66 child care centers. In 2008, based on the success of the previous grant, the project was duplicated and 146 site visits were conducted.

The Ready to Read Corps concept became part of our 2008 tactic to revise and fund young minds programs. To determine how we could be a transformation agent for 0-5 year old at-risk children and their parents/caregivers, team members reviewed the community landscape including:

• Review of school readiness and early learning research
• Environmental scan of 37 agencies providing early learning programs/services
• Review of Ohio Department of Education data
• Analysis of 10 school districts’ KRA-L scores (kindergarten reading assessment)
• Discussion with Director of Title 1
• Review of the Ohio Department of Education’s School Readiness Solutions Group Strategies
• Focused discussion with representatives from Action for Children, Columbus Urban League Head Start, Ohio Children’s Foundation
• Analysis of 2000 Census data; specifically factors that contribute to a lack of school readiness.

After all our initial research was developed and analyzed, team members found a scarcity of programs and services in Franklin County that provide literacy or school readiness information designed to help parents and caregivers understand their role in preparing their child for school. The committee determined that this gap can be filled by Columbus Metropolitan Library by formalizing the Ready to Read program using dedicated staff who can reach out into targeted communities and provide training to parents and caregivers, access to library books and materials and library card sign-ups.

The Ready to Read Corps is comprised of a two-person team who goes into at-risk communities and works with agencies such as WIC offices, food pantries and benefits offices to reach parents and caregivers with easy literacy building activities they can use at home. Parents and caregivers receive a kit that includes puppets, board books and easy tips for parents to help prepare their children for school.

We currently have teams in three central Ohio communities with the hope of taking this program into additional at-risk areas. And, these communities were carefully chosen through analysis of their KRA-L (Kindergarten Readiness Assessment-Language) scores at elementary schools in each neighborhood.

The Ready to Read Corps is funded by United Way of Central Ohio, the Siemer Family Foundation, JPMorgan Chase and Nationwide Insurance Foundation.