According to the 2014 Santa Monica Youth Wellbeing Report, 16 percent of children entering Kindergarten in the City of Santa Monica are vulnerable or at risk in the area of Learning and Communication skills. Reading-2-Go aims to address this gap by giving children and families access to tools and resources to engage in literacy-based activities at home through early literacy kits, story time modeling, texting tips, and a small home library to keep at the end of the program.

Reading-2-Go program participants receive a semi-monthly delivery of themed early literacy kits filled with books, music, toys, and activities. Using the kits, children’s librarians conduct welcome meetings with the families to demonstrate, through the direct modeling of story times, early literacy techniques they can share with their preschoolers at home. Parents also receive literacy tips via text message regularly, which can influence parent behavior to take action every day. Reading-2-Go is also one of the first library programs to offer early literacy support in the Amharic language.

Families receive improved access to early literacy materials/information. They also receive better and frequent contact with library staff and a better understanding of library resources and services. Parents gain a better understanding about the importance of reading aloud and literacy.