In 2021, after a decade as a trusteed non-profit, we finally became an independent registered charity. With this newfound independence, we had room to grow and thrive. That same year, we launched an ambitious three-year strategic plan to build a robust foundation for future expansion.
We doubled our operating budget and expanded our team from three members to ten. We also took significant steps to scale our impact. We launched Reading Program On-Demand (RPOD) and finally expanded RPP nationally. Initially reaching 12 families in KGO, our Train-the-Trainer initiative grew to engage over 350 families annually, involving delivery partners across Ontario and in Nova Scotia.
As we expand our reach, our work continues to build momentum. In 2021, we were a recipient of the TD Ready Challenge grant. Hundreds of organizations all over Canada and the US applied and only 15 were selected. As a grassroots organization, it means so much to have our impact recognized on a North America-wide platform.
In 2024, The Reading Partnership received the Toronto Community Champion Award. Bestowed by the City of Toronto and United Way, this recognizes exceptional community organizations making a difference in Toronto, particularly within equity-deserving communities. These accolades are not only a win for us, but our community. Our 2024-2027 strategic plan builds on this last chapter by setting the stage for further expansion work. We are committed to growing our impact thoughtfully and maintaining our community-driven literacy movement by working with families and community members as partners, experts and collaborators in the process.
2016 to 2020 – EXPLORING WHAT’S POSSIBLE
2018 was a busy year for TRP. In 2018, we officially became a United Way Funded Agency. With the success of RPP, the support of our community, and now the funding from United Way Greater Toronto, we were ready to expand our reach.
That same year, we trained our first program delivery partner through our Train-the-Trainer program, which was designed to expand cost-effectively and sustainably by equipping other community organizations to offer our signature RPP program.
We also received funding from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, which helped us launch our first RPP affiliate program, Reading Partnership for Black Parents (RPBP). This funding allowed us to design a program that offered a safe space for Black families with Black-only participation and facilitators.
Later that year, we published the Literacy Now! report, creating a document that could be used by members of KLIC to talk about low literacy patterns in KGO.
In 2019, we developed 360° Stories, a program for kids aged 9-12 that gives them the opportunity to become published authors and explore a career in the arts.
Shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Schools everywhere closed their doors. This had a devastating effect on literacy rates as kids were disconnected from learning supports that help with reading development. Unable to deliver in-person programming, we quickly pivoted our programs online to fill urgent gaps and foster a sense of community during this time of isolation.
We launched our second RPP affiliate program, RPP Online, to provide a safe, socially-distanced way to support families in their children’s literacy development. RPP Online offers the same benefits of RPP Live, connecting families virtually and transforming homes into positive learning environments. We also developed Kids ReadTO, a virtual program that allowed children to safely connect with one another and bond over their love of books. Through these two programs, we were able to explore virtual programming and how beneficial it is for making our programs more accessible.
2013 to 2015 – BUILDING COMMUNITY
We believe that community is the key to success; with their support, anything is possible.
We held our first-ever public forum, Spotlight on Literacy, to introduce ourselves to the community and begin cultivating a culture of collaboration around reading and learning success. We invited hundreds of community members to join us and take part in a conversation on low literacy. This event provided us the opportunity to connect families in KGO with community resources available to them.
We also joined forces with KGO community members to form KGO Literacy Improvement Collective (KLIC). Together, we began developing a neighbourhood-based, literacy improvement strategy for the community.
Alongside Spotlight on Literacy and KLIC, we produced a documentary titled “Exploring the KGO Literacy Landscape,” that examines the struggles and aspirations of 24 residents and community members as they consider the literacy landscape that surrounds them.
2011 to 2012 – WHERE IT ALL STARTED
It all started with our founder.
In 2011, 49% of Grade 3 students across the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) neighbourhood in East Scarborough, Ontario were not meeting the provincial standards for reading. In some classrooms, that number was as high as 60%. Camesha Cox knew she had to do something about it. As a young person, she was an avid reader, spoken word poet and storyteller. She knew the power that reading, writing, and creativity had in shaping her life, and she wanted to ensure that kids in her community—and others like it—had the opportunity to develop the literacy skills and confidence needed to navigate life.
After becoming an Ontario-certified teacher, Camesha ran a successful school-wide literacy intervention program in London, UK for high school students whose reading had not advanced beyond a primary level. While running the program, her eyes were opened to all the inequities in the education system that low-income communities are faced with and wanted things to be different. She could clearly see how learning experiences – that included entire communities and engaged parents and caregivers – could transform outcomes for kids.
When she returned to Canada, Camesha was inspired to bring this idea back to the neighbourhood she grew up in. With the support of her community, she designed and piloted the first Reading Partnership for Parents program in 2011. After seeing an impact, Camesha went on to further develop the program, which grew into The Reading Partnership and our mission to inspire a love of learning in kids and their families in communities that need it most.