Gov. Matt Meyer is right to call Delaware’s current literacy levels a crisis. With only 26% of Delaware fourth graders reading proficiently, the state ranks near the bottom in the nation. This isn’t about a failing school system. We’re failing as a community.
While we don’t have all the solutions, here’s the good news: The solution for the summer isn’t a mystery. We know what works. And, thanks to partners across the state, we’re already doing it.
Through Get Delaware Reading, a collaborative initiative coordinated by the United Way of Delaware in partnership with 18 community-based organizations across the state, in summer 2024, we delivered high-dosage, evidence-based reading support to almost 2,000 students at 52 sites. This work did not happen in traditional classrooms. We assisted students in summer camps, community centers and freedom schools — trusted spaces where kids already feel safe, connected and inspired.
The result? Eighty-six percent of GDR students achieved measurable gains, stemming what is often called “the summer slide” — a two- to-three-month backward step in reading skills that many kids experience when school lets out. These results show that consistent access to high-dosage literacy supports can boost outcomes. And these aren’t modest results. It’s evidence of a model that works and that should be funded and expanded.
The power behind this initiative is a collective impact approach. No single organization, not even the state, can reach thousands of children on its own. But, by leveraging partnerships with school districts, nonprofits, city governments, libraries, youth program providers and funders, GDR embeds a high-quality literacy curriculum into existing summer programs, at scale. Its curriculum is supported by BookNook, a proven digital learning platform that helps tutors and staff deliver high-impact instruction in small group settings.
The program’s literacy interns don’t just reinforce vocabulary and phonics; they build confidence. And they do so with training and tools that align with state literacy goals and standards, ensuring that the work done in the summer directly supports what happens in classrooms from September to June.
This matters because early literacy isn’t just about reading. It’s about life outcomes. Third grade reading proficiency is one of the strongest predictors of high school graduation and lifelong success. According to The Annie E. Casey Foundation, children who don’t read proficiently by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school.
In other words: Investing in early literacy is investing in public safety, workforce readiness and economic mobility. Investing in early literacy is an investment in Delaware’s future.
That’s why Gov. Meyer’s proposed $6 million investment in direct literacy support is an essential step in the right direction. But, to truly move the needle and to meet the challenge of the literacy crisis head-on, we must expand our vision of where and how learning happens. Schools can’t do this alone, nor should they have to.
To that end, we’re calling on state leaders, corporate partners, philanthropic organizations and everyday Delawareans to stand with us, beginning now, to scale up Get Delaware Reading. Let’s not treat it as a promising experiment. Let’s treat it as a proven foundation and build on it.
With $2.5 million in new public-private investment, we could expand GDR next summer to reach an additional 2,500 students, doubling the program’s size and impact. That’s thousands more children retaining reading skills, building confidence and returning to school ready to succeed. It’s also dozens of community partners strengthened through shared training, aligned outcomes and a common mission.
Delaware’s literacy crisis is real. But so is our capacity to solve the crisis, if we choose to invest in what works.
Let’s answer the governor’s call not with worry but with action. Let’s scale Get Delaware Reading, deepen community partnerships and ensure that every child in every ZIP code can read, thrive and lead. Delawareans should demand nothing less. You can learn more at uwde.org/gdrsummer.
Paul Calistro Jr.
Executive director, West End Neighborhood House
Bernice Edwards
Executive director, First State Community Action Agency
Maria Matos
President and CEO, Latin American Community Center
Jarrett Royster
President and CEO, YMCA of Delaware
Michelle Taylor
President and CEO, United Way of Delaware
John Wellons
President and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware
Michelle Williams
Executive director, Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center
Alison Windle
Executive director, Neighborhood House
Kristina Woznicki
CEO, Summer Learning Collaborative
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
