There is a reading crisis in the United States, with as many as 40 percent of kids unable to read at grade level. Factors such as increased screen time, shortened attention spans, poverty, and the COVID-19 lockdowns play a role; however many of these factors can be mediated by systematic phonics instruction. (Phonics is learning the sounds of letters and letter combinations and being able to break down (or decode) words based on these sounds).

The Scott County Library System is committed to supporting emergent readers with decodable texts and phonics resources based on Science of Reading research. Thanks to a 2025 Regional Development Authority (RDA) grant, we...