Virginia is a place of opportunity, innovation, and growth. But the future strength of our Commonwealth depends on one critical factor: whether today’s children are prepared with the basic skills they need to succeed.
Tomorrow’s workforce needs to read.
Across Virginia, and across the nation, employers are raising a red flag. It is becoming harder to find and retain qualified talent. This challenge doesn’t begin in the boardroom or on the job site. It begins in the classroom.
If children cannot read proficiently, they cannot fully learn, problem-solve, communicate, or adapt. And without those skills, tomorrow’s workforce will not be prepared to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving economy.
By fourth grade, students stop learning how to read and begin reading to learn. When children fall behind early, the gap only widens, affecting graduation rates, career readiness, and long-term economic mobility. The preparedness of Virginia’s high school graduates, and ultimately our workforce, rests on the foundation built with early literacy.
At E3: Elevate Early Education, we believe literacy is workforce development.
That’s why we are dedicated to solving Virginia’s reading crisis, so every child enters school with strong language skills, every classroom has the tools to support struggling readers, and every student has the opportunity to graduate ready for life, work, service, or continued education.
When we invest in early literacy, we are investing in Virginia’s future business leaders, innovators, public servants, and workforce.
It all starts with a commitment to reading.