About
Why third grade reading matters
Third grade reading proficiency is a key milestone in children’s journey.
Third grade reading builds on the foundational skills children develop in their early years. By the end of third grade, children transition from learning to read to reading to learn, opening doors to deeper exploration and understanding across all subjects. When students are supported in developing strong literacy skills, they are empowered to succeed not just in school, but in all areas of life.
Research underscores that early literacy development is linked to positive outcomes, such as improved health, social-emotional growth, economic mobility, and lifelong success. By investing in early literacy, we create opportunities for children to thrive and contribute to their communities.
In San Mateo County, the data reveals both a challenge and a path forward: while 42% of third graders are still building reading proficiency, and 69% of students from low-income families face similar hurdles, we have the opportunity to shift this narrative and create brighter futures for all children.
The Big Lift and our partners are dedicated to building a San Mateo County where every child has the opportunity to grow, learn, and succeed. As a collective impact initiative, The Big Lift focuses on supporting children’s lifelong success by empowering them to develop strong literacy skills by the end of third grade. Together, we are creating brighter futures for our children and our community.
2024-2026 Strategic Plan
Our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan lays the roadmap for our initiative. It is based on five years of data and feedback from the initiative’s pilot phase, and guides the evolution of our program model, governance, and organizational structure to make the maximum impact on third grade reading levels in San Mateo County.
Our History and Approach
The Big Lift began in 2012, when partners across the county saw alarming data on third grade reading. Moved to action, they launched an ambitious collective impact project focused on supporting language and literacy development. Led by the County of San Mateo, the San Mateo County Office of Education, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, over 300 community partners were engaged in informing The Big Lift’s approach.
After a planning and implementation phase, The Big Lift was piloted in seven San Mateo County communities from 2015-2020. The pilot design drew on four evidence-based interventions recommended by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and which are the basis for the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading: high-quality preschool to boost kindergarten readiness, “inspiring summers” programs to prevent learning loss and maintain school year learning gains, attendance efforts to reduce persistent chronic absences, and family engagement to promote home literacy practices.
Those interventions continue to form the basis of The Big Lift’s collective impact approach. Our current approach is guided by our Strategic Plan, and based on learnings from our pilot, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the early childhood landscape, and the current and future shifts in early learning access and education due to California’s investment in universal transitional kindergarten (UTK).
Our approach emphasizes the following strategies:
- Instructional Quality: Supporting the implementation of teaching practices that align with the science of reading in preschool to third-grade classrooms.
- Family Engagement: Partnering with families to provide resources and tools to bolster their children’s literacy development, as well as encourage regular attendance in school.
- Inspiring Summers: Providing academic and enrichment programs to prevent summer learning loss.
Across the initiative, our emphasis is on ensuring that resources and support are directed to the communities and schools with the highest need, as indicated by third grade reading proficiency rates.
Our Partners
We work in partnership with the following San Mateo County school districts and communities to implement The Big Lift.
The Big Lift initiative is led by the County of San Mateo, San Mateo County Libraries, and the San Mateo County Office of Education.
