In this episode of Nonprofit Spotlight, Stephanie talks with Yissel Salafsky, Chief Executive Officer of Make Way for Books and Pima County Community Lead for Read On Arizona, the state’s early literacy initiative. Launched in 2013, Read On Arizona brings together partners across sectors to improve language and literacy outcomes for children from birth to age 8, with a focus on school readiness and third-grade reading proficiency. Stephanie and Yissel discuss the urgent reality that 60% of Arizona students are not reading at grade level, the far-reaching socio-economic impacts tied to literacy, and how Read On Arizona is using a data-informed, collaborative strategy to meet their goals to improve literacy rates statewide. Read On Arizona’s goal is to have 72% of students reading at grade level by 2030 and 90% by 2040.

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Arizona,   birth to 8,   birth to age 8,   birth to age eight,   birth to eight,   books,   Early Childhood Education,   Early Literacy,   emergent literacy,   KXCI,   KXCI Nonprofit Spotlight,   KXCI supports nonprofits,   Literacy,   literacy education,   literacy nonprofit,   Literature,   Nonprofit,   Nonprofit Spotlight,   Nonprofits in Tucson,   Pima County,   read,   Read On Arizona,   reading,   The Nonprofit Spotlight,   The Story Project,   Tucson,   United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona,