Turning Public Data Into Tools for Early Literacy

At Read to Grow, we’ve spent the past two years asking a deceptively simple question: How can we make better use of the data that already exists to strengthen early literacy work across Connecticut? The answer has taken us into state education databases, federal directories, licensing records, and more than a dozen other public data sources. Along the way, we’ve learned that the biggest challenge isn’t necessarily finding data—it’s turning scattered, inconsistent information into something that organizations can actually use. That’s the story we’ll be sharing during an upcoming free webinar with our longtime data partner, North Arrow, on September 22, 2026. From Scattered Data to Usable Resources Over the past two years, our team has worked to bring together information that exists across Connecticut’s public data systems and transform it into practical resources for the early literacy field. We pulled together twenty years of state education data, which arrived in inconsistent formats from year to year, and created a single longitudinal file that allows us to measure our reach against student populations district by district. We also combined more than a dozen sources to build a statewide map showing where families can access books—from public and school libraries to childcare centers, bookstores, Little Free Libraries, and Read to Grow partner sites. We then developed an index to examine how easily families can reach those resources by car and public transportation. Rather than keeping these tools for ourselves, we created a public data hub to shared our findings so that partners, school districts, funders, researchers, and others working in early literacy can use them, too. Join Us on September 22 During our upcoming 60-minute, free webinar with North Arrow, Read to Grow Executive Director Suzannah Holsenbeck and Data Director Paula Grimm will share what we’ve learned from this journey. They’ll discuss how to get started with data even without a dedicated data team, how we transformed raw public data into usable resources for the early literacy field, and the role AI played along the way. The literacy sector is our case study, but the lessons extend well beyond early literacy. If you’re a nonprofit leader, program director, funder, or other changemaker wondering how your organization can make better use of the data that already exists, we hope you’ll join us. The webinar is free, lasts 60 minutes, and will include time for questions. Register for the webinar here → https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nonprofits-as-data-infrastructure-tickets-1999375997430 We’re looking forward to sharing what we’ve learned—and hearing what you’re learning, too.

New PNAS Study Confirms the Efficacy of Home Literacy

Photo via the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences At Read to Grow, our mission is to promote language and literacy for children beginning at birth and to support families as their babies’ first teachers. Every book we share and every family we serve is guided by decades of research showing that early literacy experiences lay the foundation for lifelong learning. For more than 100 years, researchers have observed that children who grow up in homes filled with books are more likely to achieve higher levels of academic success. For many years, however, it was unclear whether books themselves made the difference or whether they simply reflected other advantages, such as higher family income or parents’ education levels. Now, new research offers compelling evidence that books themselves play a meaningful role. A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that having books in the home has a direct, positive impact on children’s learning and educational outcomes. The findings suggest that simply increasing children’s access to books can have lasting benefits for their development and future success. For Read to Grow, these findings reinforce what we’ve known all along: getting books into the hands of children matters. That’s why we’re committed to ensuring every child has access to books from the very beginning of life. Through our programs, families receive high-quality children’s books along with guidance and encouragement to make reading a joyful part of everyday routines. By helping parents and caregivers build confidence as their child’s first teacher, we’re creating opportunities for language-rich interactions that support healthy development. Research continues to affirm the importance of early literacy, and we’re proud to put that research into action every day. Together with the families we serve, we’re helping children build strong foundations for learning, fostering a love of reading, and creating brighter futures—one book at a time.