This project is part of Achieve Brown County’s Reading for the Future initiative, a community-wide effort to ensure that all children are reading at grade level by the end of third grade.
From the first lullabies parents sing to their babies to the story times that spark a love of reading, everyday moments of singing, talking, reading, writing, and playing build the foundation for lifelong literacy.
These simple practices help children recognize sounds, learn new words, and connect ideas long before they ever open a book. Singing slows language down so children can hear the smaller sounds within words. Talking through open-ended questions and storytelling helps them make sense of what they’ll later read. Shared reading builds vocabulary and print awareness, writing develops the fine motor and symbolic skills that support reading, and play allows children to experiment with language and meaning in creative, joyful ways.
Together, these experiences give children the tools to understand and express their world. Yet families and caregivers often tell us it’s hard to know what local programs, story times, or community supports exist—or how to access them.
That’s why Achieve Brown County’s Reading for the Future initiative is creating a county-wide Asset Map of Early Literacy Resources and we need YOUR input to make it truly powerful.
Why an Asset Map and Why Your Input Matters
Brown County is home to dozens of organizations, large and small, that nurture early literacy skills for children ages 0–9. Libraries host story times, nonprofits run tutoring programs, child care providers weave songs and play into daily routines, and mentors guide families through the joys of reading. Individually, these efforts are making a difference.
Together, they create a literacy-rich environment but only if families can easily find and connect to them. Right now, that picture lives in dozens of places (websites, flyers, word of mouth, and staff knowledge) and families often don’t know where to start.
When parents and caregivers have clear, accessible information about early literacy resources, they are more confident and empowered to support their child’s learning from the very beginning. That confidence translates into stronger early development, smoother transitions into school, and better outcomes for young readers down the road.
That’s where the Early Literacy Asset Map comes in. This community-designed tool will bring together information from across Brown County—so every parent, caregiver, and educator can easily find programs, materials, and support that meet their needs.
“The Early Literacy Asset Map is one of those tools that is going to make it so much easier on parents. The goal is to have a single place parents, caregivers, and organizations to find programs, materials, and community supports that support a young persons literacy development. These resources already exist. People just don’t have a place to look for them.”
What the Asset Map Will Do
Showcase what already exists. Families, caregivers, and educators will have a single place to explore the rich early literacy resources in Brown County.
Identify what’s missing. The map will highlight areas where resources are limited, helping us direct collaboration and investment where they’re needed most.
Amplify collective impact. By making every organization’s work more visible and connected, the map strengthens our entire ecosystem without adding extra work for anyone involved.
Why We Need Your Input
If your organization supports children or families, whether directly through literacy programs or indirectly through education, mentorship, or family engagement, you play a vital role in this system.
Your insights will help ensure the map reflects the true scope of resources available, the language families use to find them, and the barriers they face in accessing support. The more accurate and comprehensive this map becomes, the more effective it will be for the parents and young people who depend on it.
By contributing your knowledge, you’re not just helping to design a tool you’re helping shape a shared vision for how our community supports every child’s journey to reading success.
How We Build It
This month, we’re hosting Community Input Sessions to ensure the Asset Map reflects the real experiences and expertise of those on the front lines:
- Tuesday, October 21, 2025 | 5:30–6:30 pm
- Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 10:00–11:00 am
- Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | 12:00–1:00 pm
Whether you run a tutoring program, lead story time at a library, connect families to resources, or simply care about helping every child read at grade level, your voice is essential. These conversations will help shape the first phase of the map and guide how we gather feedback for the next phase, when the tool will be fully accessible to parents and caregivers.
Early literacy is more than reading, it’s the key to educational success, economic mobility and community well-being. By mapping Brown County’s early literacy assets, we can work together to ensure every child enters school ready to learn and leaves third grade reading on grade level. Join us in shaping this vital resource and help every child in Brown County thrive.
About the Team Behind the Work
This project is being led by Reading Begins at Birth, one of seven community action teams that make up Achieve Brown County’s Reading for the Future initiative. Each team is made up of community partners and Achieve Brown County backbone staff working together toward one shared goal: Every child in Brown County can read at grade level by third grade.
The Reading Begins at Birth team believes that parents are a child’s first teacher. Their focus is on helping parents and at-home caregivers of children ages 0–4 feel confident in building early literacy skills by reading, singing, talking, playing, and writing with their children every day.
In 2023, through community listening sessions and human-centered design workshops, families and partners identified a key opportunity: parents want tools that build their confidence in supporting learning at home.
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