Tahoe Truckee was recently named as a recipient of the prestigious 2012 All America City award, along with 13 other communities in the US, chosen from a list of 32 finalists, based on a peer review process. The award was received from the National Civic League (NCL) at their national conference and award ceremony in Denver two weeks ago, attended by 600 delegates from 124 communities representing 350 school districts and more than 8 million children from around the country, all with the common goal of improving grade level literacy.Winning the All America City Award is a highly prestigious designation of which all can be proud and which can be used to promote our community in many ways. No money is received directly for winning this title but it will open funding opportunities. This designation was given to Tahoe Truckee for the plan that was created to address grade level literacy in our community.
It started last fall when an opportunity to submit a community plan focusing on grade level literacy arrived via email. After submitting a letter of intent in October, a team with representation from Excellence in Education, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee, First 5, Placer and Nevada County and Tahoe Truckee Unified School District convened to start the planning process. The local campaign, titled Tahoe Truckee Reads, was submitted in March and has strategies to boost third-grade reading levels focusing on reading proficiency, school readiness, attendance and summer reading. Additionally, an emphasis is being placed on increased coordination and communication and system change to better assess and track data in each of the target areas.
Reading at grade level by third grade is critical. This is when students shift from learning to read to reading to learn. There is already a feeling of the tide shifting and new opportunities coming to our region as a result of Tahoe Truckee Reads.
Congratulations again, Tahoe Truckee! We’re proud to be living here!
