Our blog

Dear Advocates + Friends: We cannot thank you enough for the calls, emails, letters and texts you sent to make early literacy a top priority during the 2024 General Assembly session. It truly was a team effort and it worked! There were hundreds of letters sent to legislators. Thanks in part to your advocacy, the […]

Books Improve Literacy Outcomes for ALL Children! Every child deserves access to age-appropriate, high-quality books that spark a love of reading + learning! Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Virginia (DPIL) – HB 1075 DPIL is a book gifting program that mails books to children before they enter kindergarten. The books come with tips and tools […]

Dear Advocates: It is budget time and legislators need to hear from you again! Thank you for all of your support of the literacy policy initiatives that are critical to building, implementing + investing in the Virginia Literacy Act(VLA) to help more children read by third grade. Recent data tells us that 1 in 6 […]

Dear Advocates: The big game may be over, but it is “halftime” at the General Assembly. If we take action and run the right plays, we can secure big wins for our children, families, teachers and schools. The first eight years are a critical time in a child’s language and literacy development. A child’s ability […]

Dear Advocates + Friends: When I think back to my childhood, I was fortunate to grow up in a house filled with books, newspapers and people reading all around me and to me. We played word games, sang songs, made rhymes, talked about the books we read and had conversations. Every month I could not […]

Dear Friends, This week we celebrate and honor the incredible life of an amazing advocate, leader, mother of five grown children, wife and friend.  Lisa Robertson was an active leader in women’s ministry, founded Changing Seasons, authored and led Bible studies, published an Advent guide and served on the boards of the Museum of the […]

I was talking with a colleague the other day about how important early literacy is during the first five years. If you think about constructing a building, it begins with laying a strong foundation. That is exactly what we want to do when we help our children, families and teachers during the early years. It […]

Families can help children build a strong foundation of language skills by turning everyday moments into learning.

Here are a few tips to make learning + reading fun for your family.

These activities will help to boost your child’s language development, creativity and build early skills in math and reading.

Dear Friends: I attended a screening of the Right to Read at Norfolk State University last week. This is a documentary YOU do not want to miss. I cannot stop thinking about the documentary, it was masterful in identifying the many ways we have failed children, teachers and families. At the same time, it was […]

William is a Bradley Family Scholar who is now in third grade. William recently placed first in the third grade science fair. In May, he was recognized by the School Board of the City of Norfolk for his outstanding achievements. His love of science began at The New E3 School with our science, technology, engineering, […]

Since opening our doors, the New E3 School has been all about innovation. About taking a fresh look at everything that has to do with early learning with open minds and open hearts. In that spirit, our school and our teachers made a commitment early on to fully integrate the CLASS program. CLASS – the […]

Our teachers work with children in every classroom to help them learn to breathe, relax, reduce stress and calm their bodies.  They help children understand how to manage their emotions, work well with others and cooperate.  We try to equip children with strategies to manage stress.  And yes, children feel stress too.  A few of […]

Dear Fellow Advocates, Last year we fought hard to help pass the Virginia Literacy Act, a landmark bill that will provide high-quality, evidence-based early education programs and interventions for grades K-3. It’s a great victory for Virginia’s kids and their future. But what about older kids who are struggling right now? Many of the children […]