The Reading Partnership (TRP) began as a response to the low literacy rates in Toronto’s Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) neighbourhood. In 2011, 49% of Grade 3 students across the KGO neighbourhood were not meeting the provincial standards for reading, with Black, low-income, and racialized students being overrepresented in this number.
TRP was established that same year with the goal to promote and improve literacy in low income, high potential communities in Scarborough and beyond. Built to help children and families who are typically failed by the education system, TRP and provides access to free, high-quality literacy programs. A decade later, our work is growing into a movement dedicated to improving literacy all across Canada.
OUR
Vision
Our vision is that every child, in every community, has the literacy skills and self-determination to positively impact their world.
OUR
Mission
Our mission is to build community and cultivate a love of reading for children and families through inclusive, interactive and evidence-informed literacy programming.
Our VALUES ARE to:
Everyone has something valuable to contribute, which is why we partner with families, organizations, and entire communities to move the dial on children’s literacy rates.
We believe in the power, resilience and strength of Black families. We work to make programs accessible to them, showcase representation, and celebrate vibrant diversity.
We’re dedicated to designing child-centered programs with positive, open environments and play-based activities that allow kids to let their imaginations run wild.
We create possibilities that empower kids, families and educators to reach their full potential so they can use what they’ve learned to generate positive change.
Through regular evaluation and research, we strive to constantly improve our high-calibre programming and grow as an organization. We listen to feedback from program participants to improve our programs and innovate.
We do everything we can to make our cost-free programs even more accessible, because no one should be barred from attending due to factors outside of their control.
We believe that fun and play are the work of kids and adults alike. We use this as a guiding principle and build it into everything we do.
Our TEAM
Camesha Cox
(she/her)
Founder & Executive Director
Marsha Munroe
(she/her)
Programs Manager
Sydney Hyatt
(she/her)
Director, Development & Communications
Rhonda Paris
(she/her)
Operations Manager
Carly Prescott
(she/her)
Administrative Assistant
Maleika Mohamed
(she/her)
Program Coordinator
Jalyn Smith
(she/her)
Program Coordinator
Laura Bahamon
(she/her)
Digital Innovation Coordinator
Our HISTORY
We’re proud of our milestones, and the families,
partners and communities who helped us reach them.
Our achievements are yours as well!
2021 to 2024 – Scaling Our Work
Our goal has always been to deliver programs nation-wide; but first, we need a strong foundation. Over the last three years, we’ve been investing in our organization and piloting our scaling approach so that our growth is intentional and sustainable.
2016 to 2020 – Exploring What’s Possible
After four years of successfully delivering programs in the KGO community, we wanted to see what else we could achieve. That’s when we established several new programs and pivoted to deliver programs virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2013 to 2015 – Building Community
Soon after establishing TRP, we took the time to speak directly with the KGO community to better understand their needs. This laid the collaborative groundwork that continues to drive our approach.
2011 to 2012 – Where It All Started
Year after year, KGO has had chronically low EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) scores. As an educator with a passion for literacy, Camesha Cox took it upon herself to help her community and established The Reading Partnership.