Building Brighter Futures: Nurturing Literacy from birth to 3rd grade
The Marcella Foundation is leading a collaborative effort to positively change the literacy outcomes for children from birth - 3rd grade in our region.
Donations to this pillar go to sponsor the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, BookMode, The Great Library Refresh, and the Early literacy Network.
Our Programs
BookMode is a pilot program developed by the Marcella Foundation that gives free kindles to kids in 2nd grade, to give them instant access to thousands of books and audiobooks in English and Spanish
We’re excited to lead the effort to bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to El Dorado County! We’re currently onboarding founding donors and plan to launch in the Spring of 2024. Please reach out if you can help!
Together with an amazing cohort of school librarians and our local bookstore, we’re upgrading every school library in South Lake Tahoe, bringing new, high interest books to a classroom near you!
Did you know?
37% of 4th graders in the United States read “below basic” meaning they cannot read” (NAEP 2022)
Your donations to READ will greatly help the community
Every donation helps!
$30 sponsors Imagination Library books for a child for a year!
$100 gives 10 new books to a school library
$300 brings BookMode to one reading group at an elementary school
Our Vision
Our vision is that every child in our region should be able to read by 3rd grade. Literacy is a a gateway skill and those that do not achieve this milestone are much more likely to face challenges academically and vocationally for years to come. We envision a literacy first educational system that brings the entire community together to support literacy for our most vulnerable youth.
