Munger Leads When Munger Reads

Munger Leads When Munger Reads is seeking to solve is the high illiteracy rate among both adults and children in the Munger neighborhood and is also interested in creating a neighborhood environment where children are healthy, thriving and ready to succeed in school and life.

Munger Leads When Munger Reads is a collective impact approach with double digit partners that span the prenatal period to the third grade and provide programming, services, and support in a wide variety of different areas including: education, health, social services, and poverty alleviation. Munger Leads When Munger Reads is creating a zero to third grade literacy continuum in an impoverished, resource scarce neighborhood using existing technology, bilingual books, community resources, and a neighborhood school.

Munger Leads When Munger Reads will provide a blueprint for creating a literacy continuum in impoverished neighborhoods that can be used as a model for replication in other locations.

Detroit ranks last in the nation for early childhood literacy among low-income children according to a report released in 2017. Literacy among adults in Detroit does not fare much better as an estimated 47% of all adults in Detroit are functionally illiterate. This adult functional illiteracy rate means that almost half of Detroit’s adult population are unable to read, write, or calculate at a basic level in order to allow them to participate in the everyday aspects of community functions.

In 2015 the Munger Elementary-Middle School catchment neighborhood was ranked number one in overall need of early childhood care and education out of all 54 neighborhoods in the city of Detroit. The Munger neighborhood specifically had gaps in the area of Early Head Start, Head Start, and Great Start Readiness Program (Michigan’s prekindergarten program for low-income students). The Munger community is a predominately an immigrant community with a large Hispanic and Latino population. English may not be the first language in the homes of many students and English may be a barrier to parents’ participation in promoting literacy with their children. About 16% of third grade students at Munger Elementary-Middle School read at or above grade level.

The Munger neighborhood is primarily a low-income, resource scarce immigrant neighborhood. The majority of families in the neighborhood are of Hispanic or Latino origin followed by a population of families of Middle Eastern origin, and the neighborhood also includes a small population of nonimmigrant families. English is not the primary language spoken in the homes of the majority the Munger neighborhood families. The organizations that make up Munger Leads When Munger Reads work closely with families in the neighborhood and also with the families whose children attend Munger Elementary-Middle School through the Parent-Teacher Association on programming that fits the needs of the neighborhood community. Munger Leads When Munger Reads has implemented programming requested by families in the Munger neighborhood; the requested programming has taken place both within the school and also at an offsite community location near the school.

Munger Leads When Munger Reads seeks to use what exists in the community and add where gaps have been identified to create a literacy continuum. The programming and technology are dual use for both parents and children and are multilingual in most instances. Parents can learn both English and how to read, if necessary, while reading with their children. 

Munger Leads When Munger Reads improves language, literacy, comprehension and other core life skills as children attending literacy-based programming at Brilliant Detroit will measure at 4 years upon entering prekindergarten as compared to other children who enter prekindergarten at an average of 2.31 years. Brilliant Detroit will double the number of families receiving literacy-based programming in year two of the pilot. Munger students in kindergarten through third grade will see improved scores on literacy testing and increased school attendance as compared to other similarly situated students at other schools. Participating families will have access to wraparound social services support.

Our collective impact approach has double digit partners that span the prenatal period to the third grade and provide programming, services, and support in a wide variety of different areas including: education, health, social services, and poverty alleviation.

Munger Leads When Munger Reads seeks to use what exists in the community and add where gaps have been identified to create a literacy continuum. The literacy continuum is a mix of existing age appropriate technology and books. The continuum involves Raising a Reader, Talking is Teaching, Lena Start, ABC Mouse, and Accelerated Reader. This continuum will help both parents and children grow in literacy skills.

Perinatal support with literacy programming is provided by the Nurse Family Partnership program. Parents and children (who are not school aged) in the Munger community are recruited by Brilliant Detroit through their existing programming. Great Start Collaborative recruits parents by going to community locations such as places of worship and barber shops to delivery literacy-based information. Great Start Collaborative also used billboards and geofencing around the billboards to target pop-up ads to cell phones. If a person in the catchment area clicked on the pop-up ad on their cell phone, it directed to them to Conley Public Library in the Munger neighborhood for a free book and additional information on Talking is Teaching and Munger Leads When Munger Reads. Great Start Wayne had 120 books to give away at Conley Library and all 120 books were picked up by people who had clicked on the pop-up ad. Munger Leads When Munger Reads uses parents already involved in the programming reach out to other parents they know in the community. Parents and children who are in prekindergarten through third grade are reached through the school administrators, teachers and support staff along with the Parent Teacher Association.

Our pilot is pooling limited resources, including some existing technology, across the areas of education, health, social services, and poverty alleviation programming to provide the support needed for families to development their language and literacy skills. Currently, most of the organizations that provide services to the families in the Munger neighborhood do not have enough resources, operate in a vacuum independently from each other, and do not coordinate their technology to provide a continuum of support and services. Munger Leads When Munger Reads has mapped out what programming, services and literacy related technology already exists in the Munger neighborhood and have added extra programming, services, and additional technology where gaps in services were found. 

Munger Leads When Munger Reads is using a mix of books and existing technology to create a literacy continuum from birth to third grade. Brilliant Detroit, the pilot organization that is handling most of the programming for zero to three years old, is using LENA Start, ABC Mouse and Raising a Reader. Parents are trained on both the technology and on utilizing the Raising a Reader program. Great Start Readiness Program is using the HighScope curriculum and is in alignment with the literacy continuum. Munger Elementary-Middle School provides Accelerated Reader for its students and families to grow their literacy skills. Munger Elementary-Middle School also provides literacy tutors through the Michigan Education Corps program and also hosts parent classes. Great Start Collaborative Wayne used Talking is Teaching messaging on billboards in the Munger neighborhoods. These billboards were geofenced to display a pop-up on cell phones that were within the area. The pop-ups directed families in the Munger neighborhood to Conley Public Library, which is also in the Munger neighborhood, to pick up a free book. All 120 books were picked up from the library from the geofenced billboard campaign. 

Munger Leads When Munger Reads is designed to create alignment of children’s literacy learning activities, including technology-based literacy programming, from birth to third grade. It seeks to create a partnership with the Munger families throughout the continuum. Additional outreach to families not yet involved with Brilliant Detroit, Great Start Readiness Program, or Munger Elementary-Middle School is done through word of mouth, community groups, and social media including book giveaways that are linked to geofenced billboards. Munger Leads When Munger Reads is also focused on robust in-school attendance as students and parents know that attending school on time every day leads to success. 

We are in the process of putting this data together for the current number of people we are serving. Because the pilot offers a wide range of services and supports and because not all participants enter the pilot at the same starting point or need the same services and supports, one challenge is accounting for the total number of unduplicated participants who are participating. Once we have the information on the number of people participating, we will better be able to gauge how many participants we estimate that we can impact in the next five years. Our pilot will probably expand to other Detroit neighborhoods, other neighborhoods throughout the state of Michigan, and to other neighborhoods in other U.S. cities through Brilliant Detroit's expansion. 

We are in the process of setting up the data share agreements between all of the partners so that we can track the participants as they move through the pilot. Once we have access to all of the data, then we will make tweaks to the pilot based on the results as we are still in the prototype phase. In the next five years, we hope to have the necessary tweaks made, see improvements in neighborhood based literacy, and be able to expand the concept to other Detroit neighborhoods. 

Data sharing among the partners is proving to be a bit more cumbersome and difficult than expected as each partner has different requirements as to when data can be shared, how it can be shared, and why it can be shared. Also, we have funding for the majority of the pilot but do still need to raise some additional funding. In order to expand the pilot, we will need additional funding as well. 

We are currently meeting with the various partners on data sharing and hope to be able to craft a method to deidentify the data in order to share it and yet still track the participants through whichever services and supports they receive as part of the pilot. As for funding, we are still fundraising as we go. 

All team members have other projects and job responsibilities as we are each employed by many different agencies and organizations. No one works on this project full time. There are about 15 core team members who work on this project part-time and then there are an additional 12 or so team members who are contacted and work on the project as needed.

We have double digit partners that span the prenatal period to the third grade and provide programming, services and support in a wide variety of different areas including: education, health, social services, and poverty alleviation. Each team member or partner works in their area of expertise to provide the support and wraparound services necessary to create a literacy-focused community in the Munger neighborhood.

Munger Elementary-Middle School Principal, Assistant Principal, Staff, Parent Teacher Association – guidance, ideas, leadership, permission

Detroit Public Schools Community District – Central Office – guidance, extra resources, support

Authority Health – Nurse Family Partnership prenatal/infant program

Brilliant Detroit – Raising a Reader program, LENA Start, ABC Mouse, family recruitment, major hub of the early childhood activities

City of Detroit Office of Neighborhood Revitalization, District 6 – city government support

Detroit Fire Department, Ladder 22 – special literacy activities at Munger

Great Start Collaborative Wayne – Talking is Teaching, all social media campaigns (including billboards/geofencing/book giveaway)

Grosse Ile Presbyterian Church – funded kickoff community breakfast, yard signs, student t-shirts

Henry Ford Health System – school-based health clinic at Munger

Maura Corrigan, Counsel at Butzel Long, retired MDHS Director and Supreme Court Chief Justice – brought partners together, brainstormed ideas, pilot fundraising

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – project management, wraparound supports focusing on poverty alleviation and reducing truancy through Pathways to Potential

Paul and Amy Blavin, Founders, Inspiring Action For Good – funded the Raising a Reader, funded part of Poverty Solutions evaluation

Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan – data evaluation

Southwest Solutions – parent engagement

United Way of Southeastern Michigan – early program design partner

Wayne RESA – prekindergarten programming 

SomeMunger Leads When Munger Reads seeks to improve literacy in Detroit’s Munger neighborhood. It brings together neighborhood and community organizations, and Munger Elementary Middle School staff to create a literacy-based continuum for children from birth through third grade. Munger Leads when Munger Reads targets families and students in the Munger neighborhood in Detroit. It provides a wide variety of resources including prenatal supports, literacy programming, a community literacy campaign, and tutoring at school. These resources provide critical child development tools for children from birth through third grade. 

Some of the partners in Munger Leads When Munger Reads have grant money, some are funded by state or federal dollars, and some have received funding from philanthropists or businesses for certain programming. Munger Leads When Munger Reads has fundraised as needed and that is how we will continue to proceed. Social impact bonds may be a potential source of funding in the future once the Munger Leads When Munger Reads prototype is fully developed. 

Munger Leads When Munger Reads is seeking technical support, suggestions on additional programming to add, and assistance on how to structure the data share agreements to protect the participants and yet to provide useable data from which we can make modifications to the pilot as needed. We are always looking for funding as well. 

We would be happy to partner with any organizations that have experience working in the early literacy space, especially as it relates to low-income families and families whose parents may be functionally illiterate. We would be happy to partner with organizations who can help us tweak the pilot and structure it for successful replication. We would also welcome partners who have funding available.