Action Team 7
Early Literacy Awareness and Book Access

OBJECTIVE
Increase early literacy awareness, engagement, and book access.

Team co-chairs

  • Katie Elam, Governor's Early Literacy Foundation

  • Melissa Spradlin, Book‘em

Current team

  • Christie Andrews, Learning Matters, Inc.

  • Liz Atack, Nashville Public Library

  • Emma Berry, 15th Ave North Learning Academy

  • Todd Campbell, Backfield In Motion

  • Clare Clarke, Nashville Book Connection

  • Lindsey Kimery, Metro Nashville Public Schools, Curriculum & Instruction

  • Lonnell Matthews, Jr., My Brother’s Keeper Nashville

  • Stefanie Rapp, Metro Nashville Public Schools

  • Chandra Simms, community member

  • Jennifer Wade, Metro Nashville Juvenile Court

  • Brandon White, United Way of Greater Nashville

Fast facts

  • Focused age group: 0-8

  • Timeline: 18 months

DOMAIN FOCUS

Supported and Supportive Families and Communities

  • Supports for Families

  • Skilled and Knowledgeable Parents

  • Positive Parent/Child Interactions

  • Reading with Children

  • + Regular School Attendance (High-Quality Birth-Through-Age-Eight Learning Environments)

Strategy 1

Perform a gap analysis to understand accessibility of early literacy resources for families and early childhood professionals. Formulate strategies to address gaps.

SUCCESS METRICS:
Synthesis of data collected from families and community organizations and publication/distribution of findings

Development and distribution of toolkits

Number of presentations to various stakeholders to promote toolkit

Annual participant organization surveys about toolkit use

Strategy 2

Launch a research-based messaging campaign on importance of literacy development for families and caregivers of young children birth to age 8. Align and coordinate messaging distribution across stakeholders and literacy partners.

SUCCESS METRICS:
Number of messaging campaign models reviewed from other communities

Number of partners adopting shared messaging 

Development of success metric for public messaging campaign (e.g., number of users accessing messages through various platforms, etc.)

Strategy 3

Coordinate and develop strategies to increase equitable book access for families in Davidson County.

SUCCESS METRICS:
Development of “current state” book distribution map

Set annual targets to measure increase of book access