Make Way for Books Helps Arizona Children Enter School Ready to Read
Creating literacy-rich homes and classrooms that help children thrive
Helios Education Foundation believes that reading is the foundation of all learning and a gateway to lifelong success. That belief has guided the Foundation’s investments in innovative early literacy programs for two decades and inspired its partnership with Make Way for Books, a Tucson-based nonprofit dedicated to ensuring every child has the chance to read and succeed.
Through this partnership, Helios has supported programs that reach children in their earliest years, empower families as their child’s first teachers, and provide educators with the tools and confidence to create literacy-rich environments. Together, the two organizations are helping thousands of children across Arizona enter kindergarten ready to learn and setting them on the path to becoming strong readers by third grade.
Building School Readiness in Tucson Neighborhoods
The collaboration between Helios and Make Way for Books began in 2015 with Helios’ $415,000 investment in the Neighborhood School Readiness Collaborative. This initiative addressed a critical challenge: too many children were entering kindergarten without the literacy and language skills needed to thrive.
By embedding comprehensive early literacy programming in 19 high-need neighborhoods surrounding Tucson Unified School District schools, Make Way for Books created neighborhood “hubs” where families, educators, and schools worked together to prepare children for success.
The results were significant. Over three years, 97% of children gained emergent literacy and language skills, and three out of four scored at or above benchmarks on district reading assessments through third grade. Parents reported transformative outcomes: nearly all gained confidence to read, talk, sing, and play with their children. Educators noted that their classrooms became more literacy-rich, diverse, and culturally responsive.
Families like Elena’s experienced life-changing results. She and her son Julian joined the Raising A Reader program, which was part of the collaborative, after struggling to find books at home. Week by week, Julian blossomed. He gained confidence, developed a love for reading, and got to kindergarten ready to succeed.
“Now we are all reading together as a family,” Julian’s father shared. “This experience brought our family together.”
Elevating Bilingualism and Family Voice
In 2018, Helios deepened its partnership with Make Way for Books by awarding the organization a $536,000 grant to launch the Cuéntame Collaborative, a two-generation model co-designed by Make Way for Books, families, home-based providers, and researchers from the University of Arizona. Meaning both “Count Me In” and “Tell Me” in Spanish, Cuéntame embraced bilingualism, biliteracy, and cultural identity as strengths to be celebrated and expanded.
The initiative provided a professional development network for Spanish-speaking home-based educators, equipping them with strategies to foster dual-language learning and emergent literacy. At the same time, families participated in literacy-rich engagement programs, building home libraries and learning techniques to share stories, songs, and conversations across languages.
The outcomes exceeded expectations with 99% of children gaining daily access to high-quality, culturally meaningful literacy experiences, while 99% of parents reported greater confidence and skills to support their children’s language development. Home-based providers saw similar gains: 97% reported more literacy-rich environments and improved instructional practices.
For Victoria, a longtime home-based provider, Cuéntame was transformative. For the first time, she had access to professional development in her native Spanish. She discovered how powerful bilingualism is for brain development and began intentionally weaving English and Spanish into daily learning.
“I was amazed at how much it helps children to be bilingual from an early age,” she shared. “Reading is the most fun way to learn new words for the children and for us as educators.”
Families also found their voices affirmed. Olivia, a mother who joined Story School with her infant daughter, Carmen, explained: “It’s a great program that opens the possibilities of interaction and promotion of reading from an early age. I am grateful to have been a part of this.”
Equipping Teachers to Inspire Young Readers
Most recently, in 2024, Helios awarded a $1.5 million grant to strengthen The Story Project, Make Way for Books’ flagship program that provides coaching, professional development, and culturally responsive books to early educators across Arizona. Each year, the program supports approximately 500 educators who in turn reach more than 6,000 children.
The model combines monthly workshops, individualized coaching, and access to high-quality materials. Every educator receives 30 carefully selected books for classroom use, while each child receives a book to take home. Outcomes are consistently strong: 90% of educators report improved skills, confidence, and literacy-rich environments, while 90% of children demonstrate measurable gains in emergent literacy and language skills.
The Story Project is not just about distributing books—it is about building community. Educators are supported by highly trained Early Literacy Specialists, who coach them to integrate books into daily routines, create interactive story times, and use literacy as a tool for social-emotional growth. The ripple effects are profound: children enter kindergarten with stronger vocabulary, comprehension, and confidence, while families engage in shared reading at home.
Creating Lifelong Readers, One Story at a Time
From neighborhood collaboratives to bilingual learning communities to statewide educator coaching, Make Way for Books has touched the lives of tens of thousands of children, families, and educators. Across every initiative, the core mission remains the same: to empower adults in a child’s life—parents, caregivers, and teachers—with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to nurture a love of reading.
As Helios celebrates its 20th anniversary, we are proud to have supported Make Way for Books in this work. Through their vision and dedication, Make Way for Books has not only prepared children to succeed in school but also helped families build a culture of reading that will carry forward for generations.