From Alameda County to the Girls Inc. Network: Leading the Way in Literacy

September is National Literacy Month, a time to celebrate the power of reading and the opportunities that strong literacy skills can unlock.

We know that reading at grade level is key to a student's future success. That’s why literacy has been a cornerstone of our elementary school programming for decades, giving our youngest learners the foundational skills and confidence they need to thrive in school and beyond.

Through daily afterschool literacy instruction in Oakland schools, trained staff and community volunteers engage students in activities catered to their individual skill level, including:

This consistent, engaging approach helps young readers strengthen skills like phonics, word recognition, fluency, and comprehension while developing confidence and a love of reading.

After years of implementing, evaluating, and refining this approach, Girls Inc. of Alameda County has become a literacy leader locally and in the wider Girls Inc. network.

Our organization first began sharing our K–3 literacy curriculum with Girls Inc. affiliates across the country in 2009. And as we continue strengthening our approach, we share what we learn with fellow affiliates, along with updated curriculum, tools, and practices shaped by our work with young readers in Alameda County.

Over the past two months, that work continued, with our most recent training sessions focused on our 4th- and 5th-grade literacy curriculum. Our Literacy Team traveled to Indianapolis for two educational sessions, training 27 Girls Inc. affiliates on curriculum, strategies and lessons developed through our work in Alameda County.

This National Literacy Month, we’re proud to celebrate young readers in our own community and the educators and literacy leaders helping strengthen literacy programming across the country.

Your support helps us continue investing in proven literacy programming and sharing what we learn with others to expand its impact.

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