Talk/Read/Succeed

WHAT IS TALK/READ/SUCCEED? T/R/S was created to focus on vulnerable families with young children- those with multiple risk factors and few, if any, connections to services. The T/R/S geographic target area has been two Springfield Housing Authority (SHA) developments. Reading proficiency by fourth grade is a critical milestone that depends upon the quality of early childhood experiences and predicts future academic success. The goal of T/R/S! is to ensure that the children of the Springfield Housing Authority read proficiently by the end of third grade in order to give them the greatest opportunity to achieve school and life success. T/R/S engages families and focuses on developing deep partnerships between families, schools and community programs to align strategies and support children's literacy and learning. This work is intentionally transformative in many ways: by cultivating relationships among community agencies and organizations, growing relationships between community agencies and organizations and the school system and changing relationships between families and schools. TRS Focus:
School and family partnerships for 180 families from SHA's Sullivan Apartments with children at the Boland School PreK-5 grade and from the Robinson Gardens Apartments with children at the Dorman School K-5th grade.

*Parent engagement and education to build knowledge and skills in their child development/early literacy.

*Access to preschool for 3-4 year-olds and literacy-rich programming for 5-9 year-olds.

*Services to help families increase stability, progress toward economic self-sufficiency and improve overall health. Over the course of the initiative, we have built informal learning communities that have established trust and respect among families, schools, and community organizations working to better support young children. T/R/S is administered by the Springfield Housing Authority. The program provides support and services for families and children as the result of a strong partnerships. Here are some of the partners:

-Behavioral Health Network

-Home City Families

-Reading Success by 4th grade/ Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation

-Springfield City Library

-Square One

-Springfield Early Care and Education
Partnership

-Head Start

-Springfield Parent Academy

-Springfield Public Schools