Literacy is a choice a city makes.
This year, Philly made it again. Here's what that looked like, and what's still ahead.
136
organizational partners
and 1,000+ Reading Captains are all committed to ensure Philly’s children become strong readers.
"Read by 4th showed me I wasn't doing this work alone. There is a whole movement behind me."
Partner, Partner Experience Survey 2026
EMPOWERED FAMILIES
More families have what they need to read together.
69,490
literacy resources shared with Philly families in FY 2025-2026. 27,728 distributed by partners, 41,762 by Reading Captains.
84%
of partners report having greater access to high-quality family literacy resources through the Read by 4th movement.
“I’m finding myself talking about literacy with more passion and urgency. And those moments are becoming more and more frequent.”
Partner, Partner Experience Survey 2026
ACTIVATED COMMUNITIES
Philly neighbors are becoming powerful literacy leaders.
69,490
Reading Captains trained since 2017.
46 joined this year.
$159,040
has been awarded to 85 community-driven literacy projects through the Neighborhood Literacy Fund since 2022.
“Literacy is the root cause of so many social justice issues.”
Partner, Partner Experience Survey 2026
JUST SYSTEMS
The rules and structures are changing, but hard part is still ahead.
Act 47
Pennsylvania's November 2025 law strengthens evidence-based reading instruction, teacher training, screening, and intervention.
15
teacher preparation programs in PA– more than any in the country, but still more needed
What hasn't changed yet.
Data came late. PSSA test scores were delayed, and schools were marked to close.
Tutors hit a wall. Every tutoring partner we surveyed named funding and clearance processes as the biggest barrier.
Teacher prep lags. Training future teachers to teach reading well is still a work in progress.
Turning the page together.
Philly’s literacy crisis is too big to solve alone. Read the full impact report, then join the movement.