City of Pittsburgh First Lady and Literacy Pittsburgh board member Katie O’Connor recently convened a roundtable on early childhood development, with Literacy Pittsburgh CEO Carey Harris participating. Mrs. O’Connor’s commitment to championing young children and their families through lifelong learning is energizing, and we are eager to support her efforts.
Although most of Literacy Pittsburgh’s programs focus on adults, many of those adults are parents working hard to build the skills they need to help their children thrive. More than one‑third of our adult students are raising children under age five, and more than half are parents of school‑aged children.
Our children and family programs are designed to meet those needs directly. We help parents embrace their role as their child’s first teacher and support young children in developing strong early literacy skills. Through Family Literacy, we strengthen adult literacy, early childhood literacy, and the interactive learning that happens between parents and children. We also support more than 100 students in grades K–5 through our ERAs and Oasis tutoring programs, helping them build the foundational reading skills that shape long‑term success.
Pittsburgh is fortunate to have many organizations dedicated to early literacy and early childhood development. Literacy Pittsburgh is proud to collaborate with partners such as the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Trying Together, the Grable Foundation, Birmingham Foundation, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Allegheny County’s Children’s Initiative, and others. With the leadership of First Lady O’Connor and Mayor O’Connor, this work is poised to accelerate in the years ahead.
Research affirms what families and educators know intuitively: positive early learning experiences create the foundation for a bright future. And like all learning, it begins with literacy.
Literacy Pittsburgh (formerly Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council) helps create better lives through learning. Recognized as a national leader in adult and family literacy, Literacy Pittsburgh is the largest provider of adult basic education in Allegheny and Beaver Counties. Last year, Literacy Pittsburgh helped more than 4,000 individuals acquire the skills needed to reach their fullest potential in life and participate productively in their communities. Literacy Pittsburgh provides free, personalized instruction in workforce readiness, high school diploma test preparation, digital literacy, English language learning, math, reading, and family literacy through one-to-one and small class instruction. Founded in 1982, it serves local adults through numerous neighborhood locations and its Downtown Pittsburgh Learning Center.
