• From the day a child enters Kindergarten until the third grade, classroom focus is on learning to read. While every student’s reading should continue to improve after the 3^rd grade, the instructional focus turns to reading to learn. If reading skills have not been acquired by then, subject level learning becomes very difficult. In fact, the future for children who don’t read on grade level is much bleaker.
• In Knox County, only 40% of children are reading on grade level. We must come together as a community to increase our literacy rate. It will take all of us.

Nearly every child can learn to read, but some children may need different learning strategies. Estimates from the National Institutes of Health identify one in five readers as struggling; but there’s hope. Parents and caregivers need to recognize the signs when a child is having difficulties. Reading Rockets from the Library of Congress provides tools, tips and resources to identify and help struggling readers

Tumblebooks at the Knox County Public Library is helpful and fun. These animated picture books and read-along chapter books in both English and Spanish are an excellent and engaging tool for readers of all skill levels.