DR. SEUSS FOUNDATION AND SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION LAUNCH $19M ‘READY TO LEARN’ INITIATIVE TO TRANSFORM EARLY LITERACY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY

“Dr. Seuss Foundation is excited to deepen our partnership with San Diego Foundation to create lasting change in early literacy,” said Jay Hill, Executive Director, Dr. Seuss Foundation. “Through Ready to Learn, we’re honoring Theodor Geisel’s legacy by ensuring that the joy of reading reaches children during their most formative years, setting them on a path toward lifelong learning and success.”

Ready to Learn is established through a $15 million SDF endowment by the Dr. Seuss Foundation. An endowment is a permanent fund that is invested to generate revenue in perpetuity, providing long-term financial support for community needs. The endowment ensures Ready to Learn’s sustainability and long-term impact on early childhood literacy in the region forever.

“A child’s brain is 90 percent developed by age 5, making early literacy essential for school readiness and lifelong success,” said Mark Stuart, President and CEO of San Diego Foundation. “Strengthening our collaboration with the Dr. Seuss Foundation ensures every child in San Diego County has the opportunity to develop a strong foundation in reading during those crucial first five years.”

The two foundations also announced $1,050,000 in grants to 18 local literacy nonprofits. Ready to Learn inaugural grantees include:

• American Association of Pediatrics – California Chapter 3: $75,000 to expand the Reach Out and Read program that incorporates books and literacy guidance as a standard of care in pediatric medical offices, fostering emotional bonding and healthy cognitive and social development.
• Basic Assistance to Students in the Community (BASIC): $25,000 to provide social, emotional and cognitive development support for transitional kindergarten (TK) students as preparation for kindergarten.
• Boys and Girls Club of Vista: $30,000 to foster a love for reading through hands-on activities and resources for early learners and their families.
• Chicano Federation: $50,000 to support children and families through resources for early learning success.
• Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership (DEEP): $75,000 to strengthen the capacity of caregivers to provide children with experiences that prepare them for early learning success.
• Episcopal Community Services: $75,000 to enhance early literacy for low-income children, fostering kindergarten readiness and family engagement. 
• Father Joe’s Villages: $75,000 to help families imagine a brighter future and make it a reality through family literacy programming. 
• Library Foundation SD: $50,000 to ensure youth have the literacy skills they need to learn and thrive in kindergarten.
• Literacy Partners: $50,000 to empower and offer resources to Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers in San Diego to support children’s early literacy and development. 
• Monarch School Project: $75,000 to improve access to quality, data-driven and evidence-based early education for children, ages 0 – 5, and their families.
• Reading Legacies: $50,000 to promote literacy and strong, resilient families through facilitated read-aloud experiences.
• San Diego Rescue Mission: $75,000 to improve early education and literacy for homeless children by creating literacy-rich environments, addressing trauma and learning barriers, and equipping caregivers with tools to support development.
• SBCS: $75,000 to equip children exposed to trauma with the academic and emotional foundation needed for long-term success.
• Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego Inc.: $35,000 to boost early reading skills for K-3 students through transformative programs.
• Somali Family Service of San Diego: $50,000 to foster equity in educational readiness through culturally attuned strategies and supportive services for children from low-income refugee backgrounds.
• TrueCare: $75,000 to support the early development of children through guided support for parents on a journey toward a shared love of reading and stronger family bonds.
• Words Alive: $75,000 to lay a foundation for a lifelong love of reading by connecting reading and play for young children and their families. 
• YMCA of San Diego County: $35,000 to support Expanded Learning Programs to better meet the needs of TK and kindergarten students through age-appropriate supplies, staff training and caregiver orientations.

The need for early literacy support is pressing. Recently, the Nation’s Report Card[1] showed that in both reading and math, most fourth- and eighth-graders in 2024 still performed below pre-pandemic 2019 levels. According to the San Diego Council on Literacy[2], nearly half (46%) of third graders in the San Diego Unified School District do not meet state standards for language arts (reading/writing) and 20-25% of adults in San Diego County read prose at the lowest level of literacy (grade level equivalent of 0-4).

Ready to Learn is part of San Diego Foundation’s broader Fifty & Forward Campaign[3] celebrating its collective impact to benefit the San Diego region, with a goal of granting $500 million to nonprofits while fundraising $1 billion to shape San Diego’s future for the next 50 years. To learn more about Fifty & Forward, visit SDFoundation.org/50[4]. 

For more information about Ready to Learn and how to support this initiative please visit SDFoundation.org/ReadytoLearn.

About Dr. Seuss Foundation

Dr. Seuss Foundation believes in the critical importance of early childhood education. The Foundation creates partnerships and funds programs that inspire learning, spark imagination, and expand opportunities for all children. Because children’s brains are 90 percent developed by the age of five and research shows strong outcomes for students who read at grade level by the end of third grade, the Dr. Seuss Foundation takes a special interest in supporting programs that enhance literacy development from birth through third grade. Our community initiatives cultivate everything from social development to mathematical reasoning to environmental awareness, often strengthening multiple types of literacy at the same time. Learn more at drseussfoundation.org[5].

Contact: Jewell Karinen, marketing@drseussfoundation.org[6]

About San Diego Foundation  

San Diego Foundation believes in just, equitable and resilient communities where every San Diegan can prosper, thrive and feel like they belong. We partner with donors, nonprofits and regional leaders to co-create solutions that respond to community needs and strengthen San Diego. Since our founding in 1975, our community foundation has granted $1.8 billion to nonprofits to improve quality of life in San Diego County and beyond. Join us in commemorating 50 years of impact – and looking toward the next 50 – by learning more at SDFoundation.org[7].