3 6 9 Leaders Table

Literacy affects people across their lifespans. While literacy is universal, literacy and education are also critical components of poverty reduction. 3 6 9 is the wonder number of Nikola Tesla and it’s also connected to early learning and literacy. At age 3, children need to develop the vocabulary they need to be school-ready at age 6 and to be able to successfully make the shift at age 9 from learning to read to reading to learn, so they can succeed in school and in life.

Questions we’re asking 

• How are children and young Alberta students performing after several disruptions to life and the public education system? Albertans needs to understand where we are today as a province, which requires open and transparent data from the government to support better paths forward in our province’s future.   
• How will investments be made to provide up-to-date data for early learning and literacy in Alberta? Research suggests that quality childhood education can reduce the need for additional supports in schools, reduce the drop-out rate, and prevent future crime. Investments in quality childhood education are investments in Alberta’s future.  
• How can Alberta follow-up on measurements from the 2014 Early Childhood Development Mapping project? The report shows less than half of kindergarten-aged children in Alberta are developing appropriately in five key areas of development.  
• How will Alberta continue to collect standardized Early Development Instrument data as part of a province-wide early childhood development monitoring system?  

Literacy is a light that guides children as they grow. The power of words provides answers, insight, and directions on the ways of the world. But for one in five Albertans who have faced literacy challenges since childhood, these all important words are left unread, leaving many of life’s best experiences left unknown. We want no child to be left unread. In 2023 the 3 6 9 Leaders Table launched the Left Unread campaign emphasizing the importance of childhood literacy, declaring that our children deserve the opportunity to realize their full potential. The campaign leverages data from The Case for Literacy in Alberta to make evidence-based recommendations to the community and policymakers all with the goal of advancing childhood literacy. As we work together to fill our communities with that message, no child will be Left Unread.

The 3 6 9 Leaders Table started coming together in 2021 to discuss policy and advocacy for early learning and literacy. Conversations were spearheaded by Steacy Pinney and Calgary Reads and linked to the Enough for All strategy’s Early Learning and Care lever of change.  

Different people and organizations worked previously to advance early learning and care through the First 2000 Days Network and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. The legacy of Calgary Reads and their Dandelion Strategy continue to influence literacy in Calgary and Alberta. The work of the 3 6 9 Leaders Table carries on some of this foundational work.

The 3 6 9 Leaders Table is a collaborative and community-led effort. The following organizations are currently involved in pushing the work forward: 

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area 
• Burns Memorial Fund
• Business Council of Alberta 
• Calgary Public Library
• EndPovertyEdmonton
• Mount Royal University's Trico Changemakers Studio 
• PolicyWise for Children & Families
• Rotary Club of Calgary 
• United Way of Calgary & Area 
• Vibrant Communities Calgary 
• YW Calgary

• The Canada West Foundation published The Case for Literacy in Alberta: Life is hard when you can’t read in 2023.
• First 2000 Days Early Childhood Development Network published Lessons Learned and Launching Pads in 2020.
• The Calgary Grade-Level Reading Coalition developed a Community Solutions Action Plan and Early Warning! Calgary – The case for a Calgary chapter of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.
• 2014 Early Child Development Mapping Project Alberta 
• A case study from Saint John, New Brunswick about taking action around literacy and children living in or at risk of poverty
• Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges.
• Report on the Pan-Canadian Assessment of Mathematics, Reading, and Science was designed to determine whether students across Canada reach similar levels of performance in these core disciplines at about the same age.
• An Economic Overview of Children’s Literacy in Canada explores the linkage of children's literacy and Canada's economic competitiveness. 
• The Heckman Curve shows that society invests too much money in later development when it is often too late to provide great value, and the economic benefits of investing early.
• The Right to Read inquiry report highlights how learning to read is not a privilege but a basic and essential human right and includes 157 recommendations to the Ontario Ministry of Education, school boards and faculties of education on how to address systemic issues that affect the right to learn to read.