Courtesy of the San Benito County Office of Education:
San Benito County Students have read more than 100 million words on Footsteps2Brilliance®, a bilingual early literacy mobile app and the cornerstone of Superintendent Lomanto’s Building Bridges 2 Literacy Initiative.
Lomanto and the San Benito County Board of Education launched the Building Bridges 2 Early Literacy Initiative in November 2016 to boost literacy for the students and families of San Benito County Schools. On Tuesday, February 5, 2019, students achieved the remarkable milestone of reading more than 100 Million Words on Footsteps2Brilliance.
On April 11, the San Benito County Office of Education was awarded the Footsteps2Brilliance “2019 Leadership Award” for their innovation to scale early literacy countywide. It was announced that the SBCOE is the first County Office across the United States to receive this award from Footsteps2Brilliance.
“Footsteps2Brilliance is the anchor of the Building Bridges 2 Literacy Initiative. It allows the San Benito County Office of Education to extend access to literacy beyond the classroom and empowers families to participate in their child’s growth and development. Teachers like Footsteps2Brilliance because it aligns to their curriculum and supports what students are learning in the classroom. The achievement of 100 million words read is significant because it means that children are spending more time on literacy, which translates into better student outcomes.” said Superintendent Lomanto.
Through Building Bridges 2 Literacy, San Benito County families are given free access to the Footsteps2Brilliance mobile app which they can access on any smart phone or tablet that they already own. The App provides eBooks, literacy-building skill games, and writing activities designed to build strong early literacy
foundations for children. Building Bridges 2 Literacy reaches children and families even before they enroll in school and continues to provide literacy in the classroom through third grade.
“We are thrilled to have accomplished this milestone in the Building Bridges 2 Literacy initiative. It is a testament to the dedication of San Benito County teachers to the success of every student. We celebrate the hard work of our teachers and students who have committed themselves to new heights of learning and academic achievement. We encourage every family with children ages birth to third grade to register on Footsteps2Brilliance for a free account at www.myf2b.com/register/sanbenitoCOE, and to begin using it with their children 15 minutes each day. Footsteps2Brilliance makes it easier than ever for families to spend time on literacy with their children because it is free, accessible on any smart mobile device and does not require internet once downloaded,” said Superintendent Lomanto.
“We applaud Superintendent Lomanto, the teachers, and families of San Benito County for their focus on early literacy to ensure their youngest learners begin their academic journey on a trajectory to become college and career ready. Reaching this milestone is a tremendous achievement towards preparing every child for success,” stated Ilene Rosenthal, co-founder and CEO of Footsteps2Brilliance.
See this video below of Lomanto honoring classes at San Juan School for making the
