Message from Reading and Beyond Chief Executive Officer, Sandra R. Flores
Sandra Flores has over 20-years of experience working in the community. Ms. Flores was appointed the first program director of the Fresno County Preterm Birth Initiative, a collaborative effort to reduce the number of babies born prematurely in Fresno County. Ms. Flores is a Fresno native and has spent her life’s work on improving the quality of life among children and families. Ms. Flores is now taking the next step as Chief Executive Officer of Reading and Beyond. Because of her passion to bring change to her community, she has also served on several major boards and committees, including the Transform Fresno Outreach and Oversite Committee, and was appointed to the Child Care & Development Local Planning Council by the County of Fresno, Board of Supervisors.
Founder of Reading and Beyond, Luis Santana
The mission of Reading and Beyond is to empower children and families to achieve productive, self-reliant lives. We offer a two-generation program that works with children and parents together to build education, economic assets, social capital, and health and wellbeing to create economic security that passes from one generation to the next.
A growing body of evidence illustrates that two-generation strategies -- which integrate culturally competent education, employment, and parenting and peer support for parents alongside developmental, academic, and social supports for children -- are most successful at improving economic mobility for families and education outcomes for children.
Research shows that even modest increases in family income have significant effects on a child's math and reading scores and that children from disadvantaged backgrounds feel the effects disproportionately. Our-two generation model is based on two key evidence-based insights: when parents' income increases, so do parental aspirations for their children's academic achievement, and when parental aspirations increase, children's educational outcomes improve.
To help break the cycle of generational poverty, we have established a coalition of cross-sector partners across the state to contribute a holistic array of services tailored specifically to the needs of each family. We help families improve economic security and upward mobility, and a continuum of evidence-based cradle-to-career services help children and youth succeed academically, find meaningful careers as college graduates, and become tomorrow's leaders and parents, able to create a brighter future for their own children and communities.
Reading and Beyond is helping families transition from poverty to productive and rewarding lives.