As the Graduate Tacoma community-wide movement progresses into its second decade of work, the Foundation for Tacoma Students is pleased to announce that the facilitation and leadership of the Early Learning & Reading Network (ELRN) will transition to Greentrike beginning in February 2022. FFTS is partnering directly with Greentrike to support this transition and the network’s growth.
Since the inception of Graduate Tacoma in 2010, ELRN has been dedicated to increasing access to early learning and development among Tacoma’s youngest learners. FFTS has convened early learning partners from across Tacoma for the last ten years to provide the facilitation and space to co-create strategies leading to multiple community-wide initiatives and programs serving thousands of students.
ELRN strategies currently include Book to Home, an initiative which increases student access to quality books in our most marginalized communities, and the Building Connections professional development workshop for educators.
Greentrike is well positioned to continue Graduate Tacoma’s commitment to advance early learning access and development. As a longtime leader in this space, Greentrike’s role as the Out-of-School Time Intermediary for Tacoma and Pierce County and their partnership with Tacoma Public Schools allows for new opportunities to progress ELRN strategies into the next decade.
FFTS continues to support community partners in the early learning space to sustain focus on pre-K enrollment, ensure students meet all development skills upon entering kindergarten, and that they are reading proficiently by third grade.
We are excited to work alongside and support Greentrike in this new capacity!
