Letter to Parents about Early Literacy

A note from Brad Buck, Director of the Iowa Dept. of Education

Dear Colleagues,

I'm very proud of our hard work as an education system to make sure all children read well by the end of third grade. Communicating this work to parents and asking for their support is an important piece of our early literacy efforts in Iowa. That's why I'm writing to ask for your help in distributing the attached letter from me to parents in your area.

This letter explains why we are focusing on early literacy in Iowa, how the early warning system for literacy is helping students improve their reading skills as directed by a 2012 state law, and where families can find reading resources to help at home. The letter also brings attention to the parental notification component of the 2012 law.

Thank you in advance for your efforts to distribute this letter to parents using the communication tools you see fit, including email, online parent portals, newsletters and websites.

As the letter to parents emphasizes, it's critical that we all work together to improve literacy -- especially in kindergarten, first and second grades -- because prevention, not retention, is what everyone wants.

Respectfully,
Brad