Rene Gellerman sees an early childhood literacy crisis in the Quad Cities area. As president and CEO of United Way Quad Cities, she also finds imaginative ways to address the complex cluster of issues that weigh in the balance of literacy learning. One of them has been writing a children’s book. Her book, “The Adventures […]
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Rene Gellerman sees an early childhood literacy crisis in the Quad Cities area. As president and CEO of United Way Quad Cities, she also finds imaginative ways to address the complex cluster of issues that weigh in the balance of literacy learning.
One of them has been writing a children’s book.
Her book, “The Adventures of Kids United: The Glass Bridge,” was released for sale in October. Published by Lucid Books, it costs $25 and all proceeds go to the United Way’s Kids United Campaign. It is a tool in the United Way’s toolbox to increase early childhood literacy in Scott and Rock Island counties. And improved early literacy leads to increased opportunities and a better quality of life for the future of these children and the community, Ms. Gellerman said.
The colorfully illustrated 32-page book is designed for children ages 4 to 8. To complement the story, Ms. Gellerman has created a “Power Pack” (Kids United Activity Kit) filled with activities that help children build empathy, teamwork, and friendship skills – further reinforcing the book’s themes.
According to the United Way Quad Cities’ website, The Adventures of Kids United introduces young readers to five friends on a journey that brings out their unique talents. These friends stumble upon a mysterious bridge, taking them on a journey beyond the clouds. Together with space travelers known as “Kids United,” they discover the power of teamwork, creativity and kindness as they work to repair a broken spaceship. As they return home, they start to see their own abilities as “superpowers” that can make their community a better place.
The book, Ms. Gellerman said, was “a passion project, born of a desire to create a greater impact.”
“While our United Way, alongside schools, partners and hundreds of volunteers and donors, works tirelessly to remove barriers to quality education and learning, it’s clear more needs to be done,” she said.
The Kids United Campaign was established in 2019 as part of the Rise United 2030 Campaign. The campaign aims to increase early childhood literacy proficiency rates in the Quad Cities area by 30% from the time of its inception to 2030.
Those rates took a hit with school shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, so this effort became a steep uphill climb. Quad Cities area children up to third grade were at 61% reading proficiency when the goal was set, and the rates dropped to 38% by early 2021.
“Thanks to the dedication of teachers, parents, and community partners, we’ve seen an improvement, bringing us to 55%,” she said.
While this rate exceeds national early literacy percentages (which are at about 33% proficiency), it still has taken a step backward from the campaign’s starting point. With the “launchpad” of the book, Ms. Gellerman suggests several ways Quad Citians can help young readers learn to read so that by third grade, they can read to learn:
- Buy a book for a child in your life to inspire a love of reading.
- Underwrite a book for other children, ensuring more kids have access to stories that encourage imagination and growth.
- Donate to support evidence-based solutions that tackle low literacy, such as expanding access to pre-K, providing literacy kits, and organizing community-wide initiatives such as Reading Week.
- Volunteer to be a reading tutor, working one-on-one with K-4 students to provide consistent, personalized reading support throughout the school year.
