For some children, learning to read begins long before they walk into a kindergarten classroom. It begins in a parent’s lap, with a picture book open between them. It begins with a finger moving across a page from left to right, with a child guessing what might happen next, or hearing the same story often enough to remember what comes after the turn of a page.

Those small moments are at the heart of Readers Rising, a Redlands nonprofit formed in 2023 with a goal that extends beyond teaching preschool and transitional kindergarten children how to read. The organization wants children to become comfortable with books, develop early literacy skills and, perhaps most importantly, learn to love reading before they begin school.

“The goal of the program is to get students comfortable with books. We want them to love reading prior to starting school,” said Jamie Cortz, vice president of Readers Rising. The reason, Cortz said, is rooted in what the organization sees as the importance of giving children a strong foundation before they enter the classroom. “The main reason is because we know that when students start school behind, all the research shows that they stay behind year after year,” Cortz said.

Readers Rising operates out of Victoria Elementary School in the Redlands Unified School District. The program was established there in part because the school was identified as one of the district’s equity support schools, with a need for additional support based on financial need and reading scores.

Today, the program serves the Victoria school community and meets approximately once a month during the school year. Families gather for stories, activities and art projects, while parents receive resources and instruction on early reading skills. Everything is provided free of charge. The organization is intentionally built around more than the child sitting in front of a book. Parents are part of the program too.

“One of the things that a lot of parents, either take for granted or assume, is that they drop their students off for school, and the schools teach their kids,” Cortz said. “But, we’re really trying to build a culture where the parents understand that they’re a major part of their child’s education.” One of the simplest lessons Readers Rising offers is also one of the most important: Read with the child. The program encourages parents to read with their children for 20 minutes each night. During its sessions, staff demonstrate ways parents can turn a story into an opportunity to develop early literacy skills — from following text across a page to recognizing relationships between letters and sounds, predicting what will happen next and using illustrations to help tell a story.

For Cortz, the idea is personal.

When Readers Rising was founded, Cortz and co-founder Ed Gomez were both parents whose sons were preparing to finish college. Looking back, they recognized how much had happened before their children ever entered a classroom.

“That was one of the things that co-founder Ed Gomez and I both envisioned with our sons,” Cortz said.

“When we formed this, our sons were both just about to finish college successfully, and we kind of talked about how the things that we did as parents before they even entered school, such as having the kids sit in our laps and reading to them every night, was one of the cornerstone gifts that we were able to give our kids to be successful at school.”

That philosophy is reflected in the way Readers Rising approaches literacy.

The organization isn’t simply trying to make children better readers. It wants reading to become something they seek out.

“It’s the basic principle of things that we hate, we do less of and things that we love, we do more of,” Cortz said. For a young child, avoiding reading can become particularly consequential.

“If you think about it, if you’re bad at and avoiding one of the most important cornerstone building block skills of a student to be successful in 13 years of schooling, then that’s the problem,” he said. That is why Readers Rising places as much emphasis on confidence and enjoyment as it does on the mechanics of early literacy. The changes can become noticeable over the course of a year, particularly because of how quickly young children develop. Teachers, Cortz said, have reported that children who participate in Readers Rising are more focused, more interested in stories and more verbal. The organization also stays in contact with students’ preschool, transitional kindergarten and elementary school teachers.

Along with children and parents, the organization relies on volunteers, local organizations and businesses that contribute activities, resources, music, food and other forms of support. The Redlands Optimist Club purchases the books that Readers Rising reads and distributes to students. The Frugal Frigate provides discounted books, while Olive Avenue Market hosts fundraisers and donor events. Nicho’s provides ice cream and food, and Jack’s Toys in downtown Redlands offers discounts on art supplies. For now, the organization’s reach is limited by space and staffing to the Victoria school community.

Cortz said the long-term goal is to expand to other areas of Redlands. The organization wants to remain connected with the children who pass through its program long after they have moved on.

“We keep in touch with all of our students after they leave us,” Cortz said.

“So we invite them back to all of our end of year activities.”

The larger goal is to follow the children beyond the moment when a book is placed in their hands and into the years when reading becomes a tool they use to understand the world around them.

Readers Rising is seeking community support as it works to expand its reach.

More information, including opportunities to volunteer or donate, is available at readersrising.org. The organization can also be reached at support@ readersrising.org.