As supporters, volunteers and investors, we are pleased to present you with this snapshot of the impact made by Words Alive in 2013–2014. Some specific milestones were reached this year that we are particularly proud of—the successful completion of our Family Literacy Program pilot, significant leadership growth, and more children, teens and families served than ever before!

But perhaps the biggest change at Words Alive was welcoming Rolling Readers to our family of literacy programs in January. Reading and language skills create a foundation for academic success, but nearly 50% of 3rd graders in San Diego County are testing at a “below proficient” level for their grade. This becomes one of the underlying factors for academic failure. The Rolling Readers program, which has built meaningful relationships in low-income classrooms throughout San Diego County, is working to eradicate this problem. By implementing innovative new methods in our program design, we aim to deepen the impact on students’ reading proficiency during the most critical intervention stage: K–3rd grade.

This marks an exciting new chapter for Words Alive. Through this program and those described within, we will continue to deliver

meaningful and engaging literacy intervention while supporting a mission rooted in the belief that through a love of reading, opportunities for success in life are endless.

Your support, your time, and your investment in Words Alive have been paramount to our ability to make reading a central part of so many families’ lives:

This is no small feat! And for that, we’re grateful. But we can’t stop here. As we continue to realize the scope of Words Alive’s impact in our community, we hope that you will continue to be a part of our goal to change lives through the invaluable gift of reading!

With Thanks,

Patrick StewartExecutive Director

Year in Review 2013-2014

The Next Chapter

Collaboration, Community, Connection over 400 volunteersnearly 9,000 volunteer hours

$430,000 raised

7,000 young people and their families served

+

• 775 children served

• 15 hours of read-aloud experience per child

Parents report:• 29% increase in frequency that

children ask to be read to at home

• 25% average increase in book exploratory behaviors (Activities like page-turning, asking questions about the book and pretending to read are all building blocks for early literacy.)

“This is the most unique program that I have seen in my career as a teacher and a site supervisor. This program has had a tremendously

positive effect on children’s learning progress. They love books and have so much respect for them. Introducing those new books

has helped the teachers to look for more new books to read to the children.”

—Hatige Javaherzadeh, Miller Head Start

In order to learn words you must first hear words, but there is a marked difference between the number of words heard by kids from low-income households and their more affluent peers:

Build Vocabulary, Develop Literacy

Our Early Literacy Intervention (ELI) program serves 775 preschool-aged children and their families in 12 Head Start programs, State Preschools and Child Development Centers across San Diego County. These children come from low-income households and often lack the reading experiences critical to their early literacy development. Our volunteers lead read-aloud sessions that develop students’ cognitive and verbal skills and foster a love of reading, with the goal of preparing them for kindergarten.

Kindergarten Readiness

Early Literacy Intervention (ELI)

children from working-class

families hear 15 million more words

children from low-income

families

Words heard by age 4 (in millions)

children from upper-class families hear

30 million more words

0 10 20 30 40

It’s not enough to get books into the hands of kids who don’t have them. You must empower families to use them!

“They’re always ready to learn. We are the ones who sometimes don’t want to come up with ideas because we’re tired. But we have to. I didn’t go to school…I don’t know how to teach her anything, so this program was good for me.”

“Almost anything can be a reading opportunity! Signs in the streets while

driving, food labels…”

Parent feedback:

• More than double the size of Pilot Year 1

• 100 families graduated

• 10.5 hours of education for each parent!

“I couldn’t get her to pick up a book before. She’d say, ‘I don’t know how to read.’ Now she’s pretending, and it’s fun!”

Creating Homes Where Reading Happens

Family Literacy Program (FLP)Over the past two years, Words Alive has developed and delivered the Family Literacy Program to a pilot group of parents whose children participate in our Early Literacy Intervention read-aloud program at Child Development Centers in San Diego County. The FLP empowers parents and caregivers as their children’s first teachers, providing instruction, resources and books to help them support pre-literacy development of their preschoolers. Our 7-week workshop series builds

parents’ confidence and ability to cultivate positive reading habits at home. Although they may already read with their children, parents from underserved communities often lack opportunities to learn the best ways to maximize this experience to benefit their kids. Our evaluation partners at the University of San Diego Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research confirm the impact of this parent education on pre-literacy skills.

received 12 books to build a home library

received 12 books and parent education about how kids learn to read

7% gain

Pilot Year 2:

23% gain

Parent Education Moves the NeedleAverage post-intervention gain on the Get Ready to Read screening tool:

“My Rolling Readers volunteer is awesome. She has a real knack for talking with the kids and valuing all of their answers. I am thrilled that my students

are hearing other people read to them, not just their teacher or the librarian.” —Heather McCrimmon, teacher, Felicita Elementary School

• 5,532 new books distributed

• 5,532 children served

• 12 hours of read-aloud experience per child

• 215 classrooms visited weekly throughout San Diego County

The 3rd-Grade Tipping Point

A new addition to Words Alive in 2014, the Rolling Readers program supports the literacy development of low-income elementary school students with weekly volunteer-led read-aloud sessions. We also build each student’s home library through two new book giveaways each year.

Rolling Readers helps us reach students during the most formative reading years: kindergarten through the 3rd grade. This fall, we will implement a new program design with a standardized curriculum and

evaluation model in 27 classrooms around San Diego County.  This pilot program will use read-alouds to reinforce science and social studies mandates, where teachers have requested we focus our support. We will also incorporate integrative strategies aligned with the new Common Core and informational text standards.  We seek to enhance the students’ experience in each read-aloud session and deepen the impact the volunteers are making in these children’s lives.

Rolling Readers Program (RR)

Experts agree that reading proficiency by the 3rd grade is one of the most important predictors of high school graduation and career success.

However, in 2013, 48% of 3rd graders in San Diego County tested “below proficient” in language arts STAR testing. So did 48% of 11th graders.

We’re working to reverse this trend.

From 3rd grade forward, you’re reading to learn!

Up to 3rd grade, you’re learning to

read...

0 3rd 12th grade grade

“Reading with my child brings us closer together. We share our imaginations and make great stories.”

—Parent participant, Incredible Families Read-to-Me Workshop

17,959 books donated!

The Neighborhoods 4 Kids–Incredible Families (IF) Program supports the reunification process for families separated by Child Welfare Services. The only outside agency working with IF, Words Alive conducts workshops for parents to encourage relationship repair through book sharing. 82 families served.

Community Building

With research-based models in place to ensure the success of these programs, Words Alive continues to lend expertise to a number of community literacy initiatives and collective impact coalitions. As we continue to learn from the populations we serve and improve our programs, we look forward to sharing our knowledge and resources to create a literate, thriving San Diego County. Here are a few of the ways we made an impact this year:

Words Alive is a leading partner in the literacy action team of the City Heights Partnership for Children, a community collaboration bringing together health

and human services, nonprofit, business, civic and philanthropic sectors to improve outcomes for young people in the urban core of San Diego. In 2013, Words Alive spearheaded the creation of a Reading Readiness Toolkit, designed to provide families with targeted daily activities that support kindergarten readiness. We also trained the Promotoras (peer educators in the community) on how to use the toolkit. In turn, the Promotoras then taught parents of rising kindergarteners in the neighborhood’s 3 elementary schools how to use the toolkit with their children.

• San Diego Council on Literacy• City Heights Partnership for Children• Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership• Volunteer Action Network

Lending Libraries and Book Donations• Armed Services YMCA—A consistent partner at the ASYMCA’s Neighborhood Exchange, Words Alive distributes books to military families every month.

• Euclid Child Development Center—This year, we set up a lending library at this preschool partner site, so that families can borrow books from the same place they bring their children to school each day.

Collaboration

Promotoras (peer educators) trained by Words Alive to bring the Reading Readiness toolkit to 1,000 families throughout the summer!

Working together is the key to creating positive change in neighborhoods and communities. Words Alive provides leadership and expertise to:

• 57% reported that the program improved their reading skills

• 58% reported that they decided to attend a 2- or 4-year college or trade school because of their experience in ABG

“Many of my students who hate to read are very eager to know what book we are reading next. This represents a HUGE change in attitude toward reading.”—Jade Wang, JCCS teacher

College & Career Readiness

From the Page, Through the Lens

A public gallery show of the students’ work,

curated by the Museum of Photographic Arts, was

hosted by Space4Art in downtown San Diego in May 2014 and continues

to be on display at libraries around San Diego County.

An important part of the reading experience is learning to relate what you read to the world around you. A project conducted with our teens this year aimed to do just that.

In February, teens in our Adolescent Book Group program read The Great Gatsby, which served as the starting point for our first-ever arts curriculum. Specially recruited volunteers led a two-part photography workshop for these teens, who then used what they learned

to take photos of their interpretation of core themes recognized in the book—conspicuous consumption, the American

dream, and the pursuit of happiness—in their own neighborhoods.

We plan to replicate the curriculum with different mediums and make this project a standard part of the program for years to come.

Our Adolescent Book Group (ABG) program re-engages 300 at-risk teens in reading and builds language arts and critical thinking skills by facilitating volunteer-led, book club-style discussions, writing programs and development workshops. ABG reaches students in the Juvenile Court and Community School (JCCS) system who have been referred to special classrooms because they have been impacted by extreme life circumstances such as homelessness or teen parenting, or have been involved in delinquency or foster care systems.

With help from the San Diego County Office of Education, we track how this approach is impacting the academic growth of student participants. The trend is clear: our students continue to show greater improvement in reading and language when compared to the expected growth of students in the JCCS system.

“I really like how the volunteers always participate in the conversations and make me feel comfortable in sharing my opinions and thoughts.“

—Abigail, student, Monarch School

From the students:

Reading: 4x expected growth • Language: 3x expected growthWords Alive student gains

On the Right TrackExpected reading gains for JCCS students vs. Words Alive average gains over the last 3 years:

Expected reading gains

2

7.8

From a teacher:

Adolescent Book Group Program (ABG)

“I think Words Alive is really changing lives. It changed mine in many ways, and I am thankful I had the opportunity to be a part of the scholarship

program…I would love for Words Alive to see me blossom into a bright star.”—Karina, student, San Diego City College

• earned 14 scholarships totaling $30,000

• built relationships with 16 mentors

• completed 2 degrees • attended Arizona State

University; San Diego State University; University of California, Santa Cruz; and San Diego City, Mesa, and Southwestern Colleges

Trisha McElroy will begin her Masters of Social Work coursework at the University of Southern California this fall—our first graduate student!

Maria Sarali Lozano is on track to finish her Medical Laboratory Technician program. She also completed a full-time internship at Sharp Chula Vista, and will begin working in a paid position in January 2015. Her next steps include pursuing a two-year bachelor’s degree program to become a clinical laboratory scientist.

Gateways to Success

Students who participated in the ABG program can apply for the Words Alive Westreich Scholarship (WAWS). We focus on whole person development, so in addition to monetary support, each student receives:

• a personally matched, highly trained mentor• development workshops and an online network of resources in

career-readiness, communication, healthy living and more• social engagements and relationship-building activities with fellow

scholarship recipients and mentors

We aim to help these students succeed academically and in their transition to adulthood by providing these tools and creating a healthy environment for growth.

Once Homeless, Now ThrivingThese WAWS recipients are busy changing their worlds and ours!

This year’s recipients:

La’Shanae Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in English this spring from San Diego State University, with a minor in business administration. A Fulbright Fellowship recipient, La’Shanae is currently living in India where she is teaching English and planning to implement a family literacy program loosely based on the Words Alive model!

$210,000 in scholarships awarded since 2008 through the continued support of the Westreich Foundation!

Words Alive Westreich Scholarship (WAWS)

Staff

Board of Directors

Financial Summary

Ellen Mitgang, Chair Community VolunteerRick Seidenwurm, Vice ChairAttorney, Community VolunteerKamie Cicinelli, Treasurer Founder, CiCon GroupLinda Cipriani, SecretaryAttorney, Community VolunteerOrville BrownSenior Research Scientist, Ferro CorporationDanny CungInvestment Strategist, Christopher Weil & Company, Inc.Laurie DoyleVolunteer Coordinator, Helen Woodward Animal CenterJeffrey GoldmanPublisher, Santa Monica PressKay GurtinVice President, Gurtin Fixed IncomeKristina HouckReporter, MainStreet MediaJodi KennedyAssociate Producer, KFMB News 8Christina LaPageDistrict Manager, Wells Fargo BankAndrea MacDonaldCommunity VolunteerDiane MackVice President, Legal Counsel, QualcommDana VandersipVice President of Development, Make-A-Wish Foundation of San DiegoLeslye Winkelman Lyons, Board Emeritus, Words Alive Founder

Patrick StewartExecutive DirectorCarter AndersonRolling Readers Program Manager Amanda Bonds, MAEarly & Community Literacy Programs ManagerChrissy CaliffTeen Literacy Services & Volunteer ManagerNicole DanielDevelopment ManagerChristina MeekerAdministrative Assistant & Volunteer CoordinatorTheresa TolentinoAssociate Program Manager

William R. Gumpert Foundation

Arthur and Jeanette Pratt Memorial Fund

Brooklyn College Alumni Association

Christensen Family FoundationCurrent Wisdom Foundation

Cushman FoundationDaphne Seybolt Cupeper

Memorial FundGood Samaritan Episcopal

ChurchG.O.L.D. Diggers

Karney Flaster Family Foundation

Romance Writers of San DiegoSan Diego Downtown Breakfast

Rotary

Words Alive is generously supported by the following institutional donors and hundreds of committed individuals:

5111 Santa Fe Street, Suite 219San Diego, CA 92109858-274-9673

www.wordsalive.org

Events & Awards

Funding Partners

In November, the 10th Annual Author’s Luncheon welcomed over 500 supporters to hear from best-selling author Alice Hoffman.

In February, Share Your Love of Reading featured 25 local celebrities and elected officials as guest readers in classrooms.

Professional honor association for educators Phi Delta Kappa selected Words Alive for a Kappan Community Award in March.

420 Words Alive volunteers donated 8,941 hours of service this year, in our classrooms, our office and the community.

That’s a value of over $221,295!

Individual Contributions and Grants

Events

Administration

Program Management and Delivery

ExpensesIncome

The Seuss Fund at the San Diego Foundation

*per 2013 990 filing

In 2013, Words Alive served more children, teens and families than ever before, all while improving the quality of programs offered and implementing a development plan that helped us end the year with a 2% surplus!

Committed Volunteers