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BE A LITERACY CHAMPION! STAY INFORMED WITH READ, VIRGINIA!

Our Impact

Together, WE have increased access to quality early education for thousands of children + families.

Now, we are tackling the reading crisis in communities across Virginia.
Young students at the New E3 School

In 2005, we started tackling early education as one of the first early education initiatives in Virginia.

We worked to raise awareness, advocate for greater public-private investment and improve quality for children and families. After a decade of work, we moved the meter from 1 in 5 children not ready for kindergarten to 1 in 10 in the region of South Hampton Roads.

The state investment in young children had flatlined. Virginia was behind other states. In 2011, E3 set out to make early education a priority and increase state investment. WE have increased equitable access to quality for thousands of children and families. WE worked to improve the quality in early learning programs and help teachers in the classroom.

E3’s mission is to raise awareness, advocate, and create innovative initiatives to give children equitable access to quality education for the first eight years.

What We Do:

  • Identify problems and solve with innovative solutions.
  • Raise awareness, educate and move people to action.
  • Arm parents and families with tools to help their children thrive.
  • Partner with philanthropy.
  • Advocate for policy change and public-private investment.
  • Measure impact.

OUR WORK:

Raised Awareness

  • Built momentum across Virginia around the alarming reading data.
  • Worked with gubernatorial candidates, Governor Youngkin’s administration and policy makers to ensure literacy is a priority.
  • Our next campaign will launch in the fall of 2025.

Educated

  • Increased funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of VA:
    • $481,180(FY23)
    • $1.157,065 (FY24-26)
    • $1.6m(FY25)
    • $1.1(FY26)

Increased Equitable Access

  • Increased access to age-appropriate, high quality books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Worked with The Dollywood Foundation, Local Program Partners and VDOE to give over 74,000 children and families access to books.
  • Launched the Gil Minor Innovation + Impact Fund in partnership with the Minor Family.
  • Forged partnerships with three school divisions and foundations to create Literacy Innovation + Impact Pilots in preschool through third grade.

E3 leadership hears from stakeholders that the reading crisis must be solved. This is the next big problem E3 will tackle.

Legislative Impact

Bipartisan support and $31m in strategic investments to help more children read by third grade.

Raised Awareness + Advocated for the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA).

Support the implementation of the Virginia Literacy Act through coaching, professional development, technical assistance and curriculum review. Led by the Virginia Literacy Partnerships at UVA and VDOE.

Raised awareness + advocated for implementation funding $18m.

Advocated + Increased Equitable Access to Books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

82 Local Program Partners. 74,000+ children + families enrolled.

Increased Investments

Increase public investment to $198 million and private investment to $38+ million

The New E3 School

Expert consultation provided to other programs to replicate the E3 School model.

VKRP+ PILOT PROGRAM

ADVOCATED FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE VKRP FROM FIRST TO THIRD GRADE.

E3 initiated and partnered with UVA and VDOE to create the VKRP from preschool through third grade.

STREAMIN3 CURRICULUM MODEL

ADVOCATED + ADVANCED THE EXPANSION OF THE NEW E3 SCHOOL’S STREAMIN3 MODEL. The Streamin3 curriculum model was developed by UVA in The New E3 School with private funding.

OVER 5400+ PRESCHOOL CLASSROOMS IMPACTED.

Over $3m in scholarships provided @ The E3 School to underserved + working families.