NEW YORK — Too Small to Fail, the early education initiative of the Clinton Foundation, recently launched a commitment to reach families across Pennsylvania with information and tools to support early literacy, in partnership with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy (BBF) and the United Way of Pennsylvania (UWP).
The announcement catalyzes 250 activations across the Commonwealth through the end of 2026. They will focus on three main strategies:
- People — Training “trusted messengers” to talk with families about the importance of talking, reading and singing with their children,
- Places — Transforming everyday spaces such as laundromats, playgrounds, health clinics, grocery stores, hiking trails and community centers into vibrant early-learning opportunities for children and families to talk, read and sing with each other, and
- Resources — Providing families with high-quality early-learning resources and children’s books.
Too Small to Fail and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy together will support the continuum of early literacy for children, with Too Small to Fail focused on 0-5 year-olds and BBF focused on school-aged children and their parents/caregivers, providing the campaign with specific resources to reach children at different ages and their families.
Initial funding to build this campaign was provided by the William Penn Foundation and Grable Foundation, and other partners include the LaundryCares Foundation and Playful Learning Landscapes Action Network. This statewide initiative builds upon Too Small to Fail’s work in other states across the country, including campaigns in Michigan, New York and burgeoning work in California.
“We share our founder’s belief that a parent is a child’s first and best teacher, and that opportunities to build early literacy skills are all around us,” says Andrew Roberts, president of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. “We’re excited to partner with Too Small to Fail and the United Way of Pennsylvania to truly meet families where they are, equipping them with high-quality resources that will empower parents and caregivers to support learning in meaningful — and fun — ways.”
Since 2018, Too Small to Fail has collaborated with non-profit organizations, city agencies, laundromats and other businesses to reach families in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].
