Dr. Seuss Foundation and San Diego Foundation Launch $15M ‘Ready to Learn’ Initiative

The Dr. Seuss Foundation is proud to be partnering with the San Diego Foundation on a new initiative called Ready To Learn. This endowed program supports grants to community organizations that expand early literacy opportunities for San Diego children from birth through age five.

For the past three years, the Dr. Seuss Foundation (DSF) has joined with San Diego Foundation to support its Early Childhood Initiative. Together, these organizations have invested more than $3 million in supporting early literacy programs that serve parents and families of young children in San Diego County. The Ready to Learn initiative is intended to significantly advance this partnership and to sustain its collective impact into the future.

Early childhood development is an essential contributor to learning outcomes later in life, yet our community is in dire need of investment in local literacy efforts. Research shows that students who do not read at grade level by the time they finish 3rd grade face significant learning and life challenges.

We know that children learn through talking, singing, reading, writing, and creating. By promoting a positive relationship with reading, providing resources for caregivers, and supporting early literacy in all its forms, DSF strives to foster imagination in young learners and set them up for lifelong success.

To provide long-term support, DSF has established an endowment (currently at $15M) for this work. The Foundation aims to ensure that the Ready to Learn initiative is continuously funded, supporting local children, families, care givers, and educators in perpetuity.

As part of the inaugural round of Ready to Learn grantmaking, $1,050,000 has been awarded to 18 local nonprofits, including:

• AAP-CA3 (American Association of Pediatrics, California Chapter 3)
• BASIC (Basic Assistance to Students in the Community)
• Boys and Girls Club of Vista
• The Chicano Federation
• Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership (DEEP)
• Episcopal Community Services
• Father Joe’s Villages
• Library Foundation SD
• Literacy Partners
• Monarch School Project
• Reading Legacies
• San Diego Rescue Mission
• SBCS [formerly South Bay Community Services]
• SAY San Diego (Social Advocates for Youth)
• Somali Family Service of San Diego
• TrueCare
• Words Alive
• YMCA of San Diego County

To learn more about the programs being funded at these organizations, visit San Diego Foundation’s blog. You can also learn more at the Ready to Learn homepage.

This initiative is a partnership between the Dr. Seuss Foundation and San Diego Foundation, and is part of San Diego Foundation’s larger Fifty & Forward Campaign.