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 

• 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 and school boards 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 collect standardized Early Development Instrument data as part of a province-wide early childhood development monitoring system?  

The Left Unread movement launched in the spring of 2023. 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. The purpose of the movement was to create urgency around children and literacy, to state that no child should be left unread. Left Unread did this in a variety of ways, with posters, bookmarks, stickers and lawn signs, engaging folks at the annual Big Book Sale in May 2023 and through other local AGMs and events. Social media channels were created and utilized as an excellent tool to help spread the words – not just Left Unread channels, but the cross posting of members of the 3 6 9 Leaders Table created a buzz in the community. The curiosity continued in the lead up to International Literacy Day on September 8, 2023. Alongside the Leaders Table and with a great deal of support from the Calgary Public Library, Left Unread hosted a panel focused on literacy challenges and paths forward. It’s important to note that some of the evidence for this movement leveraged data from The Case for Literacy in Alberta. There are only upsides to addressing low literacy. It can only enhance the long-term economic and social wellbeing of our communities.

The 3 6 9 Leaders Table convened for three years, discussing policy and advocacy for early learning and literacy. Conversations were spearheaded by Steacy Pinney, former CEO of 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 carried 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 Board of Education 
• Calgary Public Library 
• Mount Royal University's Trico Changemakers Studio  
• PolicyWise for Children & Families 
• United Way of Calgary & Area  
• University of Calgary – Owerko Centre 
• 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.