Clinton Foundation’s ‘Too Small to Fail’ initiative to focus on early literacy across Pa.

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The Clinton Foundation announced the launch of “Too Small to Fail” this week, a statewide literacy outreach initiative aimed at families with young children. The effort, developed in partnership with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and the United Way of Pennsylvania, seeks to promote early literacy across the commonwealth.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled the plan at the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting in New York, coinciding with the U.N. General Assembly. She said the effort is committed to reaching families across the commonwealth.

The campaign will be led by the United Way and will focus on children from pre-K to 8 years old, beginning with pilot programs in Bucks and Lycoming counties, the Capital Region, Southern Alleghenies, Titusville Region and Wyoming Valley.

The initiative will give parents and caregivers resources, tools, strategies and support to engage families effectively.

The strategy centers on three key areas: training “trusted messengers,” to communicate the importance of reading, singing and talking to children; transforming everyday spaces — such as clinics, community centers, grocery stores, hiking trails and playgrounds — into valuable  learning opportunities; and supplying families with resources such as children’s books and other early reading materials.

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, the “Too Small to Fail,” campaign plans to launch 250 activations of the program by the end of 2026.

Kristen Rotz, president of the United Way of Pennsylvania, said the group is thrilled to partner with the two foundations to emphasize the importance of a community-driven approach to expanding early literacy and reading at grade levels.

According to the School District of Philadelphia, about 31% of city students in grades 3-8 met or exceeded reading benchmarks or higher on the Star Assessment in the winter of 2023, reflecting a 2% increase from the previous year.

However, only four out of 218 schools that have full-time, certified librarians: Central High School: James R. Lowell Elementary School; Penn Alexander Middle School and South Philadelphia High School.

But help is on the way.

In August, the School District of Philadelphia landed a $149,000 federal and private grant to collaborate with the nonprofit group, Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians (PARSL). The partners will recruit and train diverse candidates to restore librarians and libraries in the district.

The Pennsylvania “Too Small to Fail” initiative received start-up funding from the William Penn Foundation, The Grable Foundation, the LaundryCares Foundation and the Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network. The campaign will build upon similar success in California, New York and Michigan.

Since its inception in 2018, “Too Small to Fail” has worked with nonprofits in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to improve access to books and other learning materials to families of small children.

“We share our founder’s belief that a parent is a child’s first and best teacher, and that opportunities to build early literacy skills are all around us,” said Andrew Roberts, president of the Barbara Bush Foundation, in a statement. “We are excited to partner with ‘Too Small to Fail’ and the United Way of Pennsylvania to truly meet families where they are, equipping them with high-quality resources that will empower parents and caregivers to support learning in meaningful — and fun ways.”