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When Do Kids Start Learning to Read? It’s Not Kindergarten.

Raising Readers Begins at Birth — Local Students Help Inspire Families, Child Care Providers with Toolkits Featuring Their Artwork

Post Date:05/14/2025 10:55 AM

If you ask Aaliyah, an 8-year-old from Nestucca Valley, who inspired her to read, she’ll tell her it was her mom. 

“She gave me courage to read by myself,” Aaliyah says. 

So when her after-school program invited students to participate in a Tillamook County-based art contest all about reading, Aaliyah knew right away who she would draw. 

In the center of her submission is her mom and surrounding her are pink and read hearts with open pages and a stack of books. This aspiring park ranger from this coastal Oregon town was surprised to learn her entry was selected among dozens from her region. Not even her mom knew about it and said later she was so honored her daughter thought of her that way. 

The contest was part of a wider campaign -- dubbed How to Raise a Reader -- developed by the Northwest Regional Early Learning Hub to promote early literacy. Students were invited to share what they love about reading and what it means to them. 

Using the artwork from the contest winners, the hub team developed a toolkit to help parents and child care providers promote early reading skills. 

Brain science tells us children start developing literacy skills the moment they’re born and not once they start going to school as some people might think. That means families and child care providers are the ones helping children develop those early skills that will set them up for success once they reach kindergarten. 

Following these tips is not complicated or time-consuming, but learning to follow them does take practice. 

“We thought it could be so much more powerful to talk about early literacy using children’s own voices,” says Abbey Lutskovsky, who oversees the Northwest Regional Early Learning Hub and rolled out the contest in the fall in partnership with school districts and child care providers. “Integrating their ideas and artwork into the toolkits really brought them to life,” she says. 

Abbey and colleagues then teamed up with Oregon’s Department of Human Services to add Little Free Libraries to self-sufficiency offices in Seaside, Astoria, St. Helens and Tillamook. The reading tips and artwork are featured at each little library. 

She also staffed a panel to select high-quality books for every age and has co-hosted ribbon-cutting ceremonies with the student artists in St. Helens and Tillamook. The Clatsop County ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. next Wednesday, May 21 at the Department of Human Services office in Seaside. 

This weekend, along with NWRESD’s Child Care Resource and Referral team, the staff will start distributing toolkits around the region to an estimated 75 child care providers in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties as part of the annual Child Care Appreciation events. 

Appreciation Events Will Be Held 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. this Saturday, May 17 at the Following Locations - MEDIA INVITED TO ATTEND

More About the Student Artists

Grace Hadley portraitGrace Hadley, age 15 (Clatskanie School District)

“I decided to draw my antagonist and protagonist from a story I am working on. Lysander Harp, the antagonist, is in the bottom left corner in his castle. Winter, my protagonist, is in the top right in the wintery forest. Lysander and Winter are brothers. Birds are also a huge symbolism in my book. Hawks represent power and the throne, while owls represent wiseness and magic.”

 

Aaliyah Kinder portrait

 

Aaliyah Kinder, age 8 (Nestucca Valley School District)

“I drew my mom, because she helped me learn how to read and she gave me courage to read by myself.”

 

Mously Mbathie portrait
Mously Mbathie, age 8 (Seaside School District) 

“I drew me with all my favorite book characters. They make me feel like they are always with me."

 

More About the Toolkits

how to raise a reader toolkitThe toolkits include posters, trifold brochures, stickers and social media graphics all based on the student art contest winners. These materials will help teach parents, caregivers and child care providers about how they can start building literacy skills in babies, toddlers and preschoolers. The full toolkit is available at nwresd.org/raise-a-reader.

Top Literacy Tips:

  • Sing or talk to your child in short, simple phrases — and don’t be afraid to use a higher pitch. Babies love it. 
  • Cuddle up and read together — any type of book will do, but babies and toddlers love to look at pictures.
  • Ask questions as you read aloud to build comprehension.

Other Resources for Parents and Child Care Providers:

About the Northwest Regional Early Learning Hub

Young children from birth to 5 are learning and developing at a rapid pace — faster than any other time in their lives. The Northwest Regional Early Learning Hub works to ensure young children and their families in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties have the resources and support to thrive. We are educators, health care providers, community advocates, program providers and businesses who believe we can do more for our communities together than we can on our own. Read more about the Northwest Regional Early Learning Hub. 
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