REGINA, Sask. — United Way Regina is working toward an ambitious goal of having every Grade 3 student reading at grade level by 2035, with donors, funders and community partners helping support early childhood literacy initiatives across Regina’s public and Catholic school boards.
On Sept. 16, United Way Regina hosted a breakfast to thank its donors, funders and community partners who contributed to those initiatives.
The program focuses on assisting young students who need additional help when it comes to their literacy needs. Community partners have participated in the classroom as well by offering free books and packages that assist children in learning to read. United Way has stated its goal is to have all Grade 3 students reading at grade level by 2035.
Hosting the event was United Way representative Cori Knelson. Knelson said that one of the reasons this initiative was implemented is because during the COVID-19 pandemic, "four in 10 students entering the kindergarten level show signs of needing literacy assistance in their learning."
"Since then, Regina school divisions have made significant progress in recovering from the learning disruptions of those years," says Knelson.
Knelson also emphasized that numbers continue to show there is a significant number of young children who identify as Indigenous who report that they need assistance with their literacy skills.
"We must continue to listen, learn and partner with Indigenous families and communities, as well as educators, as part of our broader commitment to reconciliation," says Knelson.
Jim Greenwood, a financial advisor at Blue Sky Financial Planning, United Way Regina community partner, says there was no contest for him and his colleagues in choosing a welfare program to fund back in 2015.
"We early on decided that we wanted to focus our efforts on one great cause as opposed to spreading ourselves thin over many causes, and we looked at many different charities and philanthropic endeavours and this one was the clear winner. It was just so important and we could recognize that we could actually make an impact in these kids' lives."
