Two-thirds of kids in the U.S. don’t meet grade-level expectations for reading by the third grade. As a country, we TALK about this literacy crisis a lot. But we’re not DOING much about it.As a former, award-winning kindergarten and first-grade teacher, I can say from experience that our educational system, with its unreasonable student-teacher ratios, outdated curricula, and chronic underfunding, is not set up to support early literacy—especially in schools with a higher percentage of black and brown kids. That’s why I left teaching to pour my expertise, research, and resources into creating the best at-home reading program in the world. I began by founding Toddlers Can Read—a groundbreaking approach to literacy education, rooted in the Science of Reading, that equips PARENTS to teach their kids to read. In addition to my online courses and products, Toddlers Can Read offers free content to more than 3.5 million followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. I’ve now joined forces with Lovevery as Head of Literacy Strategy. Together, we’re able to equip significantly more parents and caregivers to better support their kids' reading journey—both now and long into the future.In addition to my work with Toddlers Can Read and Lovevery, I’ve been honored to be named a SXSW EDU 2024 keynote speaker. I’ve also been featured in the TikTok Sparks Good docuseries, which highlights small businesses that have found success on the platform, and in FOX, Parents.com, Family Education, Today’s Parent, and PopSugar Parenting.I’d love to connect with early reading researchers and educators, other entrepreneurs, and podcasters and journalists focused on parenting and education.