The Literacy by 5th Grade Initiative strives to promote and expand literacy throughout Riverside County. Strong literacy skills are the foundation of all learning and contribute to a student’s ability to graduate from high school academically and socially prepared for college, the workforce, and civic responsibility.


 Footsteps2Brilliance (1)

Free Bilingual Literacy Apps for Riverside County Families

Footsteps2Brilliance flyerAs part of the Literacy by 5th Grade Initiative, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez is providing free access to the Footsteps2Brilliance suite of bilingual learning programs for all students in Riverside County.

We're excited to share that Riverside County students are actively engaged in improving their literacy:

  • 234,585 Students Enrolled
  • 1,342,995,010 (Billion) Words Read
  • 590,953 Literacy Hours
  • 2,234,182 Books Read
  • 9,965,160 Games Played
  • 1,706,559 Books Written

From pre-reading activities and read-to-you stories, to alphabet recognition songs and grammar rules games, these interactive tools from Footsteps2Brilliance are available to our youngest learners 24/7. Download flyer in English and Spanish.


Read With Me

Read With Me logoIn support of the Literacy by 5th Grade Initiative, the Riverside County Office of Education has partnered with Read With Me, a non-profit organization started in 2004, to support students through reading and mentoring in desert-area schools.

Read With Me’s mission is to bring volunteers to schools that serve disadvantaged students to help them develop to their maximum potential. Primary efforts are focused on providing English-speaking role models for children who are in need of individual assistance in learning to become fluent in English.

Volunteer today to help students in the Coachella Valley become better readers.


Little Free Library Project

Brightly painted wooden box with a glass door displaying booksIn response to the Riverside County Board of Education’s Family Literacy Proclamation and the Riverside County Office of Education’s Literacy by 5th Grade Initiative, the Systemic Impact and Change unit joined the Literacy by 5th Grade Initiative Larger Committee to launch the Little Free Library Project.

The project increases access to books by providing small, wooden, house-shaped structures, similar to a resident mailbox, which provides free 24/7 access to books within communities.

 


Resources for Family Literacy

Families reading together.

National Family Literacy Month may be in November, but the benefits of families learning and reading together continue throughout the year. For resources supporting family literacy, check out the Family Literacy Month page.


If You Can’t See, You Can’t Read!

Since the start of the 2021-2022 school year, a partnership with the non-profit organization, Vision To Learn, has led to vision screenings for more than 25,000 students and a free pair of glasses for over 6,000 students in 12 districts in Riverside County.

Read the press release: More Than 6,000 Students Receive Free Glasses in Riverside County Schools

Watch the Vision To Learn highlight video recorded at Hemet Elementary School:


Early Learning and Literacy Project Grant

Woman sits with young boy who shows off open book with excitement

Thanks to an Early Learning and Literacy Project Grant secured by Congressman Mark Takano in 2021, our Early Learning Services team is working to increase early language and literacy skills via two research based strategies: building capacity of preschool teachers and early learning providers, and ensuring families have books at home. 

Research shows that preschool teachers’ use of sophisticated vocabulary during free play predicted fourth grade reading comprehension and word recognition (Dickinson and Porche, 2021) and that having books in the home increases children’s academic success, vocabulary development, attention, and job attainment (Sikora, Evans, and Kelley, 2019). 

Early Education teachers and paraprofessionals from across the county have been trained in foundational early literacy skills including language development and phonological awareness. Not only have school district staff and early childhood center staff have been trained, but RCOE has also reached out to family child care providers for early literacy training opportunities.

In addition, at community events throughout the county, families have received over 14,000 children’s book that were strategically selected to ensure they are STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) focused and support social-emotional learning. 

Feedback from educators and families has reinforced the positive impact of literacy training on the educator capacity in early care and education programs and the benefit of providing books to families that are engaging for our early learners.


Literacy Programs

Literacy Resources for English Learners
Literacy Resources for Early Learners
Early Learning Literacy Project
Special Education Multicultural Literacy Project

Initiative Team

The Literacy by 5th Grade Initiative is supported by divisions and programs across RCOE to ensure efforts have a broad reach to educators and students in Riverside county. Visit their web pages to learn more about their core functions and programs:

Book Reading Videos

Reading aloud to children daily is an effective way to help them become successful readers, and our RCOE team members are doing their part by reading children's books aloud and making the recordings available for all. Here's a sample: 

"How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad?" read by Matt Snellings

"¿Cómo dicen estoy enojado los dinosurios?" read by Eugenio Villa

Watch the entire book reading series


PK-6 Literacy Roadmap

PK-6 Literacy Roadmap Thumbnail

The PK-6 Literacy Roadmap (PDF) was designed to support districts with their individual literacy action plans. A literacy continuum based on the Literacy standards TK-6 grade (phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing) was also established. 


Footsteps2Brilliance Teacher Training

Footsteps2Brilliance Workshop Flyer

As part of the Literacy by 5th Grade initiative, RCOE is providing all teachers with the Footsteps2Brilliance toolkit including English and Spanish interactive resources. Learn how you can use these resources to accelerate student literacy. Upcoming trainings include:

What's New with Footsteps2Brilliance
August 14, 2025 or August 28, 2025

Level 1: Getting Started for PK-3rd and DLI Teachers
September 18, 2025 or October 16, 2025

Level 2: Data Informed Instruction With Footsteps2Brilliance
October 9, 2025 or February 5, 2026

PK-3rd Grade Writing Workshop
November 6, 2025 or March 5, 2026

Summer Learning with Footsteps2Brilliance
April 9, 2026

Download the Teacher Training Flyer (PDF) for full 2025-2026 schedule.


District Literacy Network

The RCOE Literacy Network (DLN) was formed and charged with working together to improve literacy in Riverside County by determining reasons for inequities and disparities. The District Literacy Network researched key areas of focus to identify leverage points for sustainable change.

The following districts are involved:

  • Beaumont USD
  • Banning USD
  • Corona-Norco USD
  • Desert Center USD
  • Desert Sands USD
  • Jurupa USD
  • Hemet USD
  • Lake Elsinore USD
  • Menifee Union SD
  • Romoland SD
  • Palm Springs USD
  • San Jacinto USD
  • Val Verde USD

Upcoming Literacy Workshops


Literacy Workshops and Content Literacy Workshops

Instructional Services has provided over 30 literacy workshops focused on beginning readers, 3-5 grade students, and integrating art, science, and math into the reading process. The Instructional Services Unit also has over 90 literacy videos to support teachers and parents available on the Instructional Services YouTube Channel.

Phonics Videos

The videos and resources below were selected to be sample strategies or routines that can be adapted to align with current instructional materials.

Using Blending Routines When Reading:

Oral Blending and Segmenting using Jamboard:

Using Dictation Routines For Spelling:

 

Watch the complete series on the Phonics YouTube Playlist.


Subject Area Resources