Our blog

Thank you for being part of our story!! Many of you have been with us every step of the way since we first opened our doors. Together, we have helped thousands of children + families have access to quality, changed policy and increased public-private investment. Wade is in kindergarten this year. He brought 25 books […]

There is a Reading Crisis. It Cannot Be Denied. The National and State Data Tell Us We Have a Problem That Must Be Solved in Reading and Math. Virginia Students Are Falling Behind. The recently released National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data cannot be ignored. The data shows that the reading scores of 12th […]

The 2024–2025 Reading SOL data shows 56.64% of Virginia’s third graders passed with proficiency. That is progress, but still leaves 43% unable to read on grade level. This is a challenge that will define the future of our students, our schools, and our Commonwealth. We must do more. Virginia is in the first year of […]

This is a tough thing to do for all of us at any age. When my children were younger, we didn’t allow them to have a cell phone until middle school sports started. As you can imagine, our children were the “only ones” without a phone (and that was repeated to us daily). Our rationale […]

Gil’s Report Card Gilmer Minor, IV Charlotte Minor Dear Friends, We wanted to share pictures from the launch of The Gil Minor Innovation & Impact Fund at The Commonwealth Club. It truly was a special day to honor a man who served on the E3:Elevate Early Education Board of Directors for many years and cared […]

Gil’s Son Gil’s Report Card Lisa What a special time! Last week we launched the Gil Minor Innovation & Impact Fund at The Commonwealth Club with an intimate gathering of friends and colleagues in partnership with The Minor Family. Together, we honored Gil’s commitment and passion for E3’s initiatives that were vital to our success. […]

Dear Imagination Library Friends, We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you for your dedication and efforts to grow Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) in communities across the state. Your passion, partnership, and perseverance are helping to bring the love of reading to more children and families every day. We wanted to […]

The first eight years of life lay the groundwork for later learning. Research shows that a strong foundation in reading, math and writing prepares children for K-12 , higher education and, ultimately, the workforce.   The early years  are a crucial time for cognitive, language, literacy and social-emotional development. Before a child gets on that […]

As a business leader and retired CEO of Sentara, I have seen firsthand what happens when we push students through an educational system without the skills they need to succeed. Today, 40% of Virginia’s third graders cannot read. When students cannot read, they cannot learn. They will struggle in school, the workforce and life. They […]

There is a reading crisis in Virginia. 40% of Virginia students cannot read proficiently by third grade—it is even worse in some communities.  Reading is a predictor of academic and life success. When our kids cannot read, they will struggle in K-12, higher education, the workforce and life. The single most important factor influencing a […]

Dear Kids Need to Read Coalition, Reading scores are slipping across the nation and Virginia. Now more than ever, WE have to pull every lever we can to help our children read by third grade. It is going to take a laser-like focus to solve the reading crisis and secure public-private investment year after year. […]

Support equitable access to books and funding to expand Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library across Virginia The $4.6 million biennium budget request will make Imagination Library books available to all children from birth to age 5 in Virginia. This provides a 50% match funding for books and mailing for all local programs, and it also provides […]

We are incredibly thankful to each and every one of you for helping us make literacy a top priority. 40% of our third graders cannot read proficiently. We live in a digital world and our young children spend more time on devices and gaming than any other activity. If we are going to solve the […]

E3: Elevate Early Education is one year in on tackling the reading crisis as our next big problem to solve. Too many of our children cannot read. In fact, 40% cannot read proficiently by third grade, and in some communities, it is even worse. Reading by third grade is a predictor of academic and life […]