The Children’s Literacy Project, a new registered student organization, plans to raise awareness about early childhood literacy in the University of Mississippi community.
The project, which is the first UM student organization dedicated to improving childhood literacy, hadwill convene for its inaugural meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. in room 113 at the Lott Leadership Institute. Members will received an introduction to the mission and upcoming activities of the Children’s Literacy Project, as well as free pizza.
Cate Drane, a junior public policy leadership and public health major, founded the Children’s Literacy Project to give college students the opportunity to make hands-on contributions to improving literacy among children.
Drane moved frequently throughout her younger years, transitioning between public and private schools. A native of Natchez, Miss., where she attended a private middle and high school, Drane said she was not aware of literacy rates issues throughout Mississippi until she began tutoring elementary students in reading.
Mississippi ranked No. 30 in the nation in education, according to the 2024 Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Book. The state has improved from its rank of No. 48 in 2014, however, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that 69% of 4th grade students in Mississippi were not proficient in reading in 2022. In the same year, nearly four in 10 (37%) fourth graders did not reach the basic reading standard.
While the state’s performance is steadily improving, literacy initiatives provide the groundwork to continue increasing students’ reading skills. As a former tutor at Quitman Elementary School in Lambert, Miss., through Mission Acceleration, Drane fell in love with teaching kids how to read.
“When I slowly had this one girl who was crying the first day because she didn’t understand a single sentence to being able to read chapter books by the end of the year, being able to see that change and how much work I put into it, I know that what I’m doing is actually making a difference,” Drane said.
The Children’s Literacy Project will offer resources for members to learn about the science of reading and earn certifications. Drane hopes that by the end of the year, students will put certifications to use through volunteer experiences.
Drane says the Children’s Literacy Project will help students get involved in youth educational programs like Leap Frog and Mission Acceleration.
Leap Frog provides free after-school literacy programs for elementary students in the Lafayette-Oxford community. Helping children to become lifelong learners, the program offers daily lessons and enrichment programming for local youth.
Mission Acceleration is a statewide initiative helping to accelerate reading skills in students from Kindergarten to fifth grade. The administrative home for the program is located within the Center for Excellence in Literacy Instruction (CELI) at UM.
Drane encouraged students interested in learning more about Leap Frog or Mission Acceleration to join the Children’s Literacy Project and meet others interested in improving literacy. Drane said the time commitment will be relaxed, offering students who are passionate about the activity further chances for involvement.
The Children’s Literacy Project plans on hosting an event this fall to raise money for volunteer projects in the spring. After launching the organization at UM, Drane hopes to start additional branches at Jackson State University and Mississippi State University.
“It’s not just policy, and it’s not just teaching kids how to read,” Drane said. “It’s not just certifications, and it’s not just volunteer planning. It’s the whole breadth of it.”
