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  We're going on a Moonshot Treasure Hunt!

 Help support our Indian River County families by joining the Moonshot Treasure Hunt, brought to you by The Learning Alliance.

When you read, talk, play, sing, and create with your child, you are setting them up for success in school and in life.  Download the weekly Moonshot Treasure Hunt activity sheets for fun learning activities for families to do at home.

Post photos or videos of your child interacting with these activities and tag @TheLearningAlliance with #TLAMoonshotTreasures to be eligible to win weekly prizes.

On the Treasure Coast, we know that the real treasures are our children and their families.

The Moonshot Community Action Network (MCAN) launched a new website feature to help parents find quality extended learning opportunities for children in grades pre-school through middle school this summer.

“It’s been an honor to partner with our MCAN extended learning providers and the School District to spread greater awareness of summer learning opportunities in Indian River County,” said Judi Miller, MCAN Leadership Council member and Ret. Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River & Okeechobee Counties CEO. “Given the serious impact COVID has had on so many students this past year, opportunities for summer learning are more important than ever before to help alleviate the gaps that have resulted.”

The Learning Alliance Moonshot Moment Bookmobile is back on the road again and will be making scheduled stops on Monday from June 14 through August 12, 2021, in Fellsmere. The mobile literacy unit travels around the county, providing children and families with the opportunity to select from a cache of quality books. The children can choose books they are interested in with the assistance of volunteers.

The School District of Indian River County will also be delivering bags of food in conjunction with TLA’s Moonshot Moment Bookmobile’s schedule at the stops before noon. In essence this collaborative effort will provide “food for the brain and food for the body.”

Looking for an afterschool or summer program to support your young learner?  Check out the map of extended learning programs here.

The Learning Alliance (TLA) is the first organization in Indian River County to join a statewide movement of an increasing number of businesses supporting families through the Children’s Movement of Florida’s “Bosses for Babies” initiative. In doing so, they are inspiring and encouraging others to follow suit. The Learning Alliance invites other community businesses to join the “Bosses for Babies” initiative because “when businesses support families, everyone wins.” Visit bossesforbabies.com for more information.

Each year, about 200,000 children head to kindergarten in Florida, and nearly half of them are not ready to learn. The Moonshot Literacy Movement created in Indian River County in 2012 has set a goal for children to be ready for kindergarten with 90% of them reading on level by the end of third grade. 

COMMUNITIES HIGHLIGHTED FOR EXEMPLARY OR INNOVATIVE RESPONSES TO THE COVID CRISIS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) announced today the 54 communities that are Bright Spots for their responses to the COVID crisis last year.

Specifically, CLGR is highlighting communities that developed exemplary or innovative responses to the COVID crisis, including new or adaptive roles, programs, organizational relationships/collaborations, policies and/or resources. In particular, the Campaign is recognizing communities for crafting solutions that seem especially effective, replication-worthy and/or deserving of being sustained during the post-COVID period.

We know that our Moonshot Moment goal for children to be ready for kindergarten and 90% reading on grade level by the end of third grade is a loft goal, and we need everyone to get 'out of the bleachers, and on to the playing field.'  Please be part of our MOONSHOT MOMENT by sharing the weekly social media campaign messages.

Our Moonshot Community Action Network (MCAN) is kicking off a new social media campaign on February 22, 2021.  Each "Moonshot Monday" we will post either a "Did you know" fact, or a "Featured word" video.  Please repost and share your feedback.

From Early Learning Nation

By Mark Swartz

The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) announced that Indian River County’s “Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement” was selected as one of the select Pacesetter communities across the United States that exemplify extraordinary vision and best practices for their work during 2019 and Indian River County was one of them. The focus of the campaign is on six community solutions impact areas: School Readiness, School Attendance/Chronic Absence, Summer and Afterschool, Healthy Development, Parent Success and Grade-Level Proficiency.

The Learning Alliance is coordinating our next “Moonshot BIG READ” to have 8,000+ IRC community members reading the story on October 29, 2020!

Join the Moonshot Community on October 29 for our annual “Moonshot Big Read” in conjunction with JumpStart’s 15th annual Read for the Record, where we all read the same story on the same day. The purpose of the event is to highlight the importance of building early literacy and language skills and to bring awareness to the nationally-recognized Moonshot Moment work in Indian River County. This year’s story, selected by JumpStart, is “Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away” by Meg Medina, telling the heartwarming tale of two best friends on the day before one of them moves away.

During the one-day book “Moonshot Big Read” children and adults throughout the County will read the touching story of friendship as told in this book, which fosters language and social-emotional development, honors the diversity in our world, has a strong narrative, and appeals to young children.

The Learning Alliance (TLA) today announced a merger with the Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative (KRC) effective April 1, 2020. Including KRC within the TLA organization will help establish a continuum of services for children from birth to eight years old in Indian River County.

“This merger will allow both organizations to better focus their combined resources in preparing children for school by uniting under a single umbrella,” said Ray Oglethorpe, Chair of TLA.

In March, The Learning Alliance took steps to help children walk their way to literacy during the third annual SDIRC Moonshot Literacy Lane. The annual event supports the Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement’s goal of having 90 percent of Indian River County children reading on grade-level by third grade.

The walk promotes the importance of reading and spending time with family as they get some exercise and give their brains a workout.

The Learning Alliance’s Moonshot Moment Rocket joined floats and community groups walking in unity to honor the late Dr. Martine Luther King Jr. during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade in Gifford.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Committee of Indian River County hosted the annual event to keep Dr. King’s values alive.

Indian River County joined the world’s largest shared reading experience on Nov. 7, as more than 8,000 local children and adults joined more than two million others to read the same book as part of JumpStart’s 14th annual Read for the Record to highlight the importance of building early literacy and language skills. The county-wide event was coordinated by The Learning Alliance, the managing partner of the Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement.

The Learning Alliance’s literacy fleet traveled around the county, spreading the “word” about the importance of reading – making stops at three Indian River County National Night Out events. The Moonshot Reading Rocket, Luna the Literacy RV and the Moonshot Bookmobile.

“National Night Out provides a forum for community partners to work hand-in-hand with local law enforcement,” said Marie O’Brien, TLA’s Manager of Moonshot Outreach. “Research has shown a correlation between low literacy and crime. By putting books into more children’s hands, we as a community can help to turn lives around.”

The Learning Alliance hosted Jenn Faber, state representative for the Florida Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and the Florida Children’s Council during a circuit of community engagements in Indian River County.

Faber spoke visited the Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative, Early Learning Coalition, and Kindergarten Readiness sites and held intimate discussions with early childhood providers, parents and community partners.

The Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative (KRC) along with the Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement of Indian River County, The Learning Alliance, Planet Vero and PNC’s Grow Up Great initiative collaborated to develop a radio program that features early childhood education champions who disseminate information to help parents during the first few years of their children’s lives.

The shows mantra “where every moment is an opportunity to learn” was showcased as Dr. Nivea L. Torres, KRC executive director, hosted guests from around the community to engage in discussions with local experts on topics ranging from parenting resources, services, education and childcare tips during 45 unique interviews.

The Dwight Stuart Youth Fund is a charitable trust founded in 2000 by Dwight Stuart, Senior. He believed that every child should have access to quality education programs and was specifically committed in helping those who are most underserved and underprivileged. The fund's philosophy promotes a healthy and vibrant educational system as the root of a prosperous society – economically, socially and collectively.

The fund’s mission aligns with The Learning Alliance's (TLA) mission for all children to read on grade-level by the end of the third grade. TLA's purpose is to improve literacy outcomes by the end of the third grade and create literate, compassionate, creative citizens who will improve our world.

Literacy took a “Deep Dive Into the Lagoon” last Saturday at the Indian River County Main Library. More than 150 children and their families were immersed in the lagoon during the collaborative Moonshot community event hosted by The Learning Alliance (TLA), S.E.A. A Difference, and the Indian River County (IRC) Library System.

Activities were based on the children’s book “Mermaid Meg and the Magic Lagoon” by Brevard County author Leslie Maloney.

The organizations that participated are helping students to “get their hands dirty, get their hands wet and learn about the creatures that are being impacted by the deterioration of the lagoon,” according to Debbi Arseneaux, TLA educational consultant and teaching artist. “That tracks back into reading, back into learning, so they want to know more.”

The Learning Alliance is one of 38 agencies to receive a grant from the more than $1 million funding pool distributed this year during the John's Island Community Service League's Closing Luncheon at the John's Island Club.

The Learning Alliance received a $25,000 grant to use toward the Moonshot Academy summer program at Vero Beach Elementary School. The Learning Alliance is a vision driven, emergent learning organization dedicated to building innovative and collaborative solutions to help children learn to read. Our Moonshot Moment vision of 90 percent of all third graders reading on grade level motivates our work.

The 6th annual Read Across the Field event celebrated literacy in support of the Moonshot Moment goal which is for 90 percent of students can read on grade-level by the end of third grade. More than 600 Moonshot Readers gathered on the field of Sebastian River High School to form the Moonshot Rocket logo and launch Indian River County as the literacy capital of the nation.

Detective Christian Yanchula of the Forensic Services Unit of the Indian River County Sheriff's Office sent their new Crime Scene Investigation drone to capture the human rocket before releasing student-athletes from across the county to participate in the 30th annual Bill Wilson Elementary Track Meet, which included students from county elementary schools.

The Learning Alliance (TLA) recently celebrated the community's efforts to transform lives through literacy during the nonprofit's 2019 Gala at the Vero Beach Museum of Art.

The museum overflowed with community leaders, concerned citizens, volunteers, teachers, school board members and administrators, all under the auspices of “making something beautiful” through literacy.

TLA embarked on an ambitious journey nine years ago to ensure that all children read on grade-level by the end of the third grade. Today, only 36 percent of third-graders can read proficiently at the national level, while in Indian River County 56 percent of our children are reading on grade level.

The Learning Alliance (TLA) received a $15,000 grant from Head, Heart & Hands, the funding arm of the Indian River Club.

The $15,000 grant directly funds a Third Grade Interventionist (3Gi) at Indian River Academy and supports TLA's mission to transform our community’s future and become a model for the nation by cultivating a culture where 90 percent of children read on grade level by the end of third grade.

This funding piggybacks on the relationship already developed between residents of Indian River Club and the Indian River Academy (IRA). Eighty residents regularly volunteer at IRA for more than 500 hours each month.

It may have been April Fool's day, but the Grand Harbor Community Outreach Program (GHCOP) says literacy is no joking matter. To prove this, the philanthropic arm of the local community awarded The Learning Alliance a $10,000 grant to fund a Third Grade Interventionist (3GI) at Dodgertown Elementary School during their inaugural Breakfast of Champions at the Grand Harbor Golf Club.

“The Learning Alliance is grateful to the Grand Harbor Community Outreach Program for bringing us on to help fund our very successful Third Grade Interventionist program,” said Barbara Hammond, TLA CEO and co-founder. “I am so impressed with the depth of knowledge and passion that was exhibited by all the members of the evaluation committee and this promises to be a great relationship over time.”

The Learning Alliance (TLA) was one of 36 recipients of grant awards from Quail Valley Charities (QVC) this year. TLA received a $20,000 grant to fund the organization’s Moonshot Institute Workshops.

Each year Quail Valley Charities distributes funds to support the work of local nonprofits with missions centered around children and education. TLA was once again a beneficiary of a $20,000 grant from funds raised during Quail Valley Cup Charity Week.

The grant enables TLA to continue work in the nonprofit's mission to ensure that 90 percent of Indian River County children can read on grade-level by the end of the third-grade.

In the profound rhyming words of Dr. Seuss, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go,” The Learning Alliance partnered with the Living Hope Fellowship Church in Gifford to host the third annual Moonshot Family Literacy Festival at Dodgertown Elementary School to help children go “more places” through literacy.

The literacy celebration, inspired by Read Across America Day, featured a birthday party for Dr. Seuss, a Poetry Slam contest, pizza, prizes, games, books, books, books and more books.

Indian River County families went on a “literal” journey during the 2nd Annual SDIRC Moonshot Literacy Lane hosted by The Learning Alliance to support the Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement and promote the importance of reading.

Families gathered near The Learning Alliance's Moonshot Reading Rocket in the parking lot of the Indian River County Main Library where children created masterpieces celebrating their ish-ness under the guidance of Bridget Lyons, TLA Arts/Literacy Educator and Manager of the Reading Rocket.

Volunteers escorted families from business to business during the one-mile story walk using an innovative approach to get parents moving and kids reading while encouraging family engagement and modeling reading.

The Learning Alliance (TLA) said, “The bus stops here for literacy” as they joined forces with Rosewood Magnet School and The Senior Resource Association to hand out free books at the GoLine bus hub on 16th Street in January.

As passengers waited for their bus to arrive, they were able to sift through more than 400 books collected and donated by students from Rosewood Magnet School. Casandra Flores, Rosewood principal, and Lisa Ross, Rosewood literacy coach, were on hand to literally help spread the word.

Once you learn to read, you will be forever free. – Frederick Douglass

The Moonshot Literacy Movement has heeded Douglass’ quote and taken the literacy show on the road for the holidays. For the second year The Learning Alliance (TLA) has given Santa a little help, feeding the growing minds of children in Fellsmere with a visit from the TLA Moonshot Moment Bookmobile.

Volunteers from the Exchange Club of Fellsmere – sporting Santa hats – joined the ranks of The Learning Alliance to gift wrap and hand out more than 800 new books to about 75 families during the December Fellsmere Mobile Food Pantry distribution sponsored by the Fellsmere Action Committee Team and the Treasure Coast Food Bank at Mesa Park.

During the December Moonshot Community Action Network (MCAN) meeting, five local Champions – Dr. Fran Adams, Judi Miller, Ray Oglethorpe, Barry Tatem, and Chief Keith Touchberry – were honored for their efforts to ensure 90 percent of Indian River County students are reading on grade level by the third grade.

Each year The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading [a nationwide collaborative created to ensure that more children in low-income families succeed in school] honors individuals who support early literacy. In 2018, 47 communities identified Champions - volunteers, educators, school and civic leaders and public officials - nominated for their support.

There was much to be thankful for Thanksgiving week as the Moonshot Moment Bookmobile made its way through the Gifford community handing out books from The Learning Alliance Mobile Library with the help of Indian River County Sheriff's deputies.

In an effort to put books in the hands of children while making connections, The Learning Alliance and the Sheriff's Office formed a literacy partnership to promote reading through “Book Em: A new take on getting booked by law enforcement” in support of The Alliance's Moonshot Moment Goal to have 90 percent of Indian River County children reading on grade level by the third grade.

Community members visited Fellsmere Elementary during the Moonshot Tour of Gratitude in November, giving Moonshot Moment supporters a firsthand look at the work being accomplished through the collaborative efforts of The Learning Alliance, Moonshot Community Action Network and the school district.

Nearly 200 community leaders gathered for the triennial Moonshot Community Action Network (MCAN) Summit on Oct. 31 at the First Presbyterian Church in Vero Beach.

The collective spent the morning engaged in discussions focusing on the imperative: What does it take for Indian River County's community leaders to operate as a high performing team such that we lead the way, are stronger together, inspired and unstoppable in taking a stand for our children and thereby fueling our community's economic vitality?

“I am the proud mom of two sons who are in college now; but when they were in kindergarten, they were failing kindergarten. The teacher didn't know why and I didn't know why,” explained Barbara Hammond The Learning Alliance (TLA) co-founder and CEO. “The agony and the ecstasy of being a parent started this journey.”

The Learning Alliance Coordinated “JumpStart Read for the Record” and 18th annual “Lights on Afterschool Rally for our Moonshot Community.

The Learning Alliance (TLA) helped shine a light on the importance of literacy afterschool programs by organizing the “JumpStart Read for the Record” and 18th annual “Lights on Afterschool Rally” on Oct. 25 to celebrate children and reading and to support the Moonshot Moment Goal of having 90 percent of all students reading on grade level by the third grade.

An estimated 4,500 school-age children from around the county participated in activities at public elementary schools during the day. Moonshot Community Action Network partners included Dasie Hope Bridgewater Center in Wabasso; Indian River County Main Library; Buggy Bunch; Literacy Services of IRC; Big Brothers/Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee; Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative; The Learning Alliance Moonshot Academy Afterschool Programs; Little Rising Stars Preschool; and Childcare Resources.

 Much like the crowd drawn out by the music from the neighborhood ice cream truck, children clamored for their chance to step into the Moonshot Moment Bookmobile as it rolled into the Dasie Hope Center for its first stop this summer.

Now in its third year of delivering literacy opportunities to where they’re needed most, The Learning Alliance Mobile Library made stops in Fellsmere, Gifford, Oslo and Wabasso each week to deliver the written word to hundreds of children.

Summer days should be filled with water balloon fights, days at the beach, melting popsicles and … reading. For many children, the last day of school means they won't have access to books until they return to school in August.

This summer The Learning Alliance’s (TLA) Moonshot Reading Rocket blasted off on a 2,700-mile journey for Grade-Level Reading Week in Philadelphia, Pa. The Moonshot Moment Literacy Movement Rocket Return Reception celebrated the literacy pilgrimage at the Brackett Library on the Indian River State College (IRSC) Mueller Center Campus.

The week-long conference focused on accelerating learning and strengthening connections among the network of communities seeking to collaborate and replicate the efforts of community coalitions to support early learning, early literacy and early school success.

The Moonshot Reading Rocket has embarked on its 2018 national road tour to support the Campaign for Grade Level Reading and our fellow Pacesetter communities!  The Rocket will be spreading the Moonshot Moment message and “collecting stories” for the national project: Voices: A Community Tapestry of Stories.

School may have been out for the summer but it was in session for a group of dedicated Indian River County teachers who chose to give up a week of their summer vacation to attend a week-long, literacy-intensive teacher institute hosted by The Learning Alliance (TLA).

The Moonshot Summer Teacher Institute offered a free professional development opportunity for elementary school teachers by immersing the educators in a model classroom experience. Featuring the inspirational story “Malala's Magic Pencil” by Malala Yousafzai, the teachers were exposed to research-based strategies. By providing authentic opportunities for applied learning, the teachers witnessed firsthand how to develop foundational literacy skills.

More than 400 pajama-clad, slipper-wearing children and their families gathered at the Heritage Center, Fellsmere Elementary School and the Sebastian Boys and Girls Club for the fifth annual Moonshot Moment Family Pajama Pizza (and a Movie) Party hosted by The Learning Alliance to celebrate National Summer Learning Day.

Fellsmere Elementary School third-graders showed impressive gains in reading proficiency this year, and one of the contributing factors was the product of a newly forged relationship – Cadets & Kids – between the 3rd graders at Fellsmere Elementary in Amy Shoemaker's class and recruits attending the Criminal Justice Institute Basic Recruit Training Program at Indian River State College.

Rising first-graders from Sebastian and Treasure Coast Elementary Schools needing a boost to make sure they are on grade-level when they start back to school this fall discovered that reading really is “out of this world.”

What helped “launch” these children into literacy success stories? Literacy in Motion (LIM), a hands-on, literature intensive program The Learning Alliance developed in collaboration with the Vero Beach Museum of Art and the School District of Indian River County to help stop the summer slide. According to recent studies, children can lose as much as two months of knowledge over the summer. The program also gives low-performing students the chance to catch up with their peers academically.

A group of rising third-graders from Sebastian and Treasure Coast Elementary schools dove into summer learning with the help of The Learning Alliance, the Environmental Learning Center (ELC) and the School District of Indian River County.

Students spent four weeks immersed in literacy as they explored the Indian River Lagoon through the Literacy on the Lagoon (LOL) program, a collaborative program developed to stop the summer slide. Studies show that children lose two or more months of grade-level equivalency during the summer.

The Learning Alliance told a crowd of educators, volunteers, community leaders and philanthropists a story during the nonprofit's annual gala at the Vero Beach Museum of Art recently -- the story of how “The Power of the Community's Moonshot Story to Change the World” is unfolding right here in Indian River County through the collaborative efforts of literacy proponents.

As guests entered the museum, they were greeted by storybook characters from the Indian River Charter High School Theater Department. Dorothy and the Scarecrow pointed the way to “the Yellow Brick Road;” Alice and the Mad Hatter ushered attendees along so they wouldn't be “late for a very important date,” and Mary Poppins offered up “a spoonful of sugar.”

There was a whole lotta reading going on at Gifford Middle School during the 2^nd Annual Moonshot Moment Family Literacy Festival, a free event to celebrate and promote literacy and the joy of reading.

In the true spirit of community, Moonshot Community Action Network members, local churches, and nonprofits teamed up with The Learning Alliance to celebrate literacy and support the community’s goal for 90 percent of all students to be reading on or above grade-level by the third grade.

Families spent the day immersed in hands-on reading activities for children ranging in age from pre-kindergarten through middle school. According to event coordinator Michele Holiday, the key, was to expose parents to activities they could do at home with their children in minutes instead of hours. “A lot of parents don't have the knowledge to help prepare their children to learn to read. We wanted to equip our parents with activities that they could incorporate at home.”

The third annual Pre-K Party and Kindergarten RoundUp will be held on February 24, from 10 am - 2 pm, at the Indian River Mall!

The annual Moonshot Moment Day of Service is held each year to celebrate the success of our Moonshot Community and to honor those organizations who are working toward our collective goal to "create literate, curious, creative, compassionate lifelong learners who will improve our world!"  We are Moonshot!

Our 4th Annual Moonshot Moment National Summer Learning Day Free Family Pizza Party will be held on July 13, 2017!  

Location:  The Heritage Center, 14th Avenue, Vero Beach, FL

Time:  6:00 - 8:00 pm

Audience:  Geared for Families with Children Ages 4 - 12

RSVP for your free admission here:  http://bit.ly/2tdNP9b

 The Learning Alliance and the School District of Indian River County have once again partnered together to bring the Moonshot Moment Bookmobile into the community, delivering free books during the summer.  

Join the Moonshot Moment community for our summer 2017 "Big Read" which is "STONE SOUP" by Jon J. Muth.  Our theme is Indian River ROCK and READ, and we will be painting vocab words on rocks this summer!  Click here for the daily word list.

 The 2nd Annual Kindergarten RoundUp and PreK Party will be held on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at the Indian River Mall from 10 am - 2 pm.  Bring your children to this fun event, and register for kindergarten or the voluntary preK programs offered in our County!

Families of children pre-K to kindergarten are invited to the third annual Pre-K Party and Kindergarten RoundUp on February 24, 2018 at the Indian River Mall!

On December 3, 2016, The Learning Alliance will host a Moonshot Institue Workshop: Stories of Place: Exploring the Practice and Possibilities of Placemaking, with national expert Donald King.  Scholarships are available for Indian River County educators and Moonshot Community Action Network members.

 Vero Beach, Florida -   November 14, 2016 was the third annual Moonshot Moment Day of Service in Indian River County.  Activities included a community tour at Vero Beach Elementary, guest readers in the elementary schools, a Pacesetter award presentation to over 175 people at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, and a "Book Em" event from the Indian River County Sheriff's Department to distribute free books to children.    The Day of Service was a showcase and celebration of the Moonshot Moment, our County's collective goal to achieve 90% literacy by the end of third grade. 

On July 14, 2016, we celebrated "national summer learning day" in Indian River County!  Here's a video that recaps the events:  https://youtu.be/JLvdQ7q6l4U

We launched a Moonshot Moment bookmobile to "stop the summer slide!"  We are visitng six locations each week, Monday through Saturday, to give away free books to children.  Our goal is to help every family have a home library with age-appropriate books.  For more information, contact Marie O'Brien at The Learning Alliance, at 877-548-7323 (READ).    View the event video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Cehuhs768

 Vero Beach, Florida – The John’s Island Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant toThe Learning Alliance to support the Moonshot Academy elementary schools with tools that will aid them in providing improved literacy instruction.  The grant funds will cover the following:

 The "Moonshot Million Pages" campaign is designed to get all readers in Indian River County, Florida to supporty the Moonshot Moment, by logging the pages that they read to see how quickly our County can read one million pages! 

Indian River County Moonshot Moment Receives National Pacesetter Award from the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading!

Indian River County has been honored as a Pacesetter by the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading for making measurable progress on eliminating barriers faced by children from low-income families on the path to becoming proficient readers.

 The Moonshot Moment kindergarten Readiness Collaborative will host a 'Kindergarten RoundUp and Preschool/Toddler Extravaganza" on February 27, 2016, at the Indian River Mall in Vero Beach, from 10 am - 2 pm.

A group of thirty Moonshot Moment literacy leaders and School District representatives will meet with Heidi Guber for a Visioning session to plan for the nexgt community-wide Moonshot Moment events.

 The Moonshot Moment and Smart Baby Ambassadors will have a booth at the Unity in the Community event at Oslo Middle School on December 12, 2015.  

The Senior Resource Association and its GoLine bus have partnered with the Moonshot Moment!  We'll unveil our partnership in the Vero Beach Holiday Parade on Saturday, December 5 -- rain or shine!

The Learning Alliance is organizing a Moonshot Moment "Page it Forward" book collection, to end on November 3, 2015 – the 2^nd annual Moonshot Moment Day of Service.  Organizations can support the Moonshot Moment by collecting new or gently used books for children ages one through 12 (up to grade 5.)  The books will be given to children in Indian River County.

October 12 - November 10:  Moonshot Masterpiece social media campaign!  Visit the Moonshot Museum Masterpieces located at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center and in the 13 elementary schools in Indian River County.  Take a selfie photo or video at the Masterpiece and upload it to our social media sites with hashtag #moonshotmoment.  The one with the most likes/favorites will win a great grand prize, and their classroom wins a pizza and ice cream party!  (Visit verobeachmuseum.org for a map of the Masterpieces.

The annual Jungle Club 5K Run, Indian River County’s premier 5K race, is in its 24th year and once again, the beneficiary will be the County's Moonshot Moment!  Your participation in the race/walk will support the Moonshot Moment, and the Moonshot Sports group of coaches who are working with their student athletes toward our 90% literacy goal!  Registration forms are available online here.

Moonshot Moment "Read and Roll"

FREE Skate Factory Celebration

Saturday, August 29, 2015, 5 – 7 pm

Reading over the summer months will help to “stop the summer slide!”  This party is to celebrate those students who did summer reading!  (It’s not too late!  This party is a great incentive to get kids reading now, or for them to continue to read.)

Print this pass and join us on 8/29 between 5 - 7 pm for the free end-of-summer celebration to promote the Moonshot Moment literacy goal: 90% of students reading on grade level by the end of third grade by 2018! (Skate rental not included.)

Indian River Community Foundation is proud to announce the first grant award from the Quail Valley Charities Nonprofit Collaboration Fund.

To highlight the importance of summer learning, the Moonshot Moment Summer/Afterschool Team will host the first annual Free Family Pajama Pizza Party on June 19, 2015 at the Heritage Center at 2140 14th Avenue in Vero Beach, FL from 5:30 – 7:30 pm.   The event is free, but registration is required.

 On April 18, 2015, over 600 people lined up on the football field of Sebastian River High School to celebrate the Moonshot Moment.

 On April 18, 2015, the Moonshot Sports group of Indian River County coaches and athletes, will host the second annual "Read Across the Field" event!  This year's event will be held at the Sebastian River High School track meet, from 8:00 - 8:45 a.m., just before the all-county elementary school track meet.  Join us as we bring together the largest group of readers ever together in one place, to line up in the shape of the Moonshot Moment rocket.

Sue Curtis of The Learning Alliance is coordinating the "Smart Baby Ambassador's group" to share the message of "Read. Talk. Play. Sing. Create Smart Babies!" with the underserved and minority communities of Indian River County.

Our Moonshot Sports group is growing -- and having fun along the way!  Over 80 athletes and their coaches walked with our Moonshot Sports float in the Vero Beach Holiday Parade on December 6, 2014.

The Moonshot Moment goal is to have 90% of children reading on grade level by the end of third grade in 2018.  An invitation-only event, scheduled for 9/27/14, "Litreacy Off the Page" event will introduce the new partnership with the Vero Beach Museum of Art and how the "Power of the Arts" will be used to develop reading milestones that will help our children achieve this reading goal!

November 12 - Moonshot Moment Day of Service

Show your support for the County's Moonshot Moment goal to have 90% of all children reading on grade level by the end of third grade in 2018!  Participate in one of the many "Day of Service" activities planned, ranging from donating new or used children's books to reading to a classroom or volunteering at a school. 

The annual Jungle Club 5K Run, Indian River County’s premier 5K race, is in its 23rd year, and is scheduled for October 4 at 7:30 a.m., and proceeds will go to the Moonshot Moment!

This year’s chosen charity is  “Moonshot Sports” -- Coaches working together to leverage their influence with student athletes, to achieve the Moonshot Moment goal - 90% of children reading on grade level by the end of third grade by 2018.

 Students can lose up to 25% of their reading level over the summer.  Sign up for our Text Alert Program for weekly tips and suggestions on how to prevent this "summer slide" and keep your child learning while enjoying the summer break.

June 20, 2014 -

Summer Learning Day is a national advocacy day recognized to spread awareness about the importance of summer learning for our nation’s youth in helping close the achievement gap and support healthy development in communities all across the country.

In Indian River County, Florida, we are celebrating Summer Learning Day at several locations throughout the county -- giving away free books to children; teaching them a fun 'summer learning day rap song; and making the day a celebration.

We are having a great reading celebration on March 3, 2014.  Our special guest speaker is children's author, Marc Brown, of the ARTHUR books and cartoon series.  Join other preschool and elementary school families for this fun and entertaining event to celebrate Moonshot Moments and literacy in Indian River County.

To celebrate national "Read Across America" day, our "Moonshot Sports" group is hosting a "Read Across the Field" event on April 23, 2014 at 4:30 p.m.  This record-breaking event will have the largest number of people reading in one place, at the same time, in Indian River County history.  Everyone is encouraged to attend this free event to support literacy! 

What an honor!  Indian River County has geen recognized as a national Pacesetter from the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, because of our community's work supporting the Moonshot Moment literacy goal!

We are making national news with our "Moonshot Moment" 90% literacy goal as part of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.

To celebrate Literacy Week, the Moonshot Sports group will be participating in the Indian River Soccer Association season kickoff event.  Please come by the Hobart soccer fields, located at 6310 77th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32967, between 10 am - 12 noon to enjoy this fun event and to pick up free books for your child.

On 9/14/2013, from 3pm - 5 pm, the Moonshot Sports group will host a Family Fun Day at GYAC.  Local coaches and teams will provide demos (karate, basketball, lacross, tennis, etc.) and lessons, guest readers will be sharing their favorite books with children ages 2 through 10, Nemours BrightStart! will provide tips for kindergarten success, free pizza for participating families, and our local scholar athletes will be available to talk about their favorite sports -- while we join together to celebrate Literacy Week.

On 9/4/13, the Scripps VERO BEACH NEWSWEEKLY ran a story about Moonshot Sports.  The article included our Motto and information about our upcoming kickoff event scheduled for 9/14 at GYAC from 3 - 5 p.m.

The August 16, 2013 issue of HOMETOWN NEWS featured an article written by Brittany Llorente describing the new "Moonshot Sports" group of coaches working together to promote literacy in Indian River County.

As seen in the July 17, 2013 issue of VERO BEACHSIDE NEWS, the Indian River Community Foundation has provided grants totaling $235,000 to local nonprofit organizations.  The Big Brothers Big Sisters organization received a grant for $40,000 to assist 50 pre-kindergarten students to become ready for kindergarten through one-on-one mentoring and family literacy activities.

Fellsmere Elementary was the host site for a community-wide event to bring local business leaders, parents and teachers together to support the Moonshot Moment.

 A group of local nonprofit leaders have joined forces to tackle the issues related to child development from birth through age five.  This group will work together to identify the literacy barriers that need to be addressed with this group, such as having children be ready for kindergarten.  It's a great step toward achieving the Moonshot Moment literacy goal!

The first installation of the two-week temporary art exhibit was done today, with our FACES poster paste ups at each of the 13 elementary schools in Indian River County.  Literacy Week begins on Monday, 1/14/2013, and we are excited that the children and their families will see the posters as soon when they arrive at school.

We are participating in the insideoutproject.net, to create a two-week public art display called "Faces:  Help Me Read; It Changes Who We Become!" to get our community involved in the discussion about improving childhood literacy.  Event schedule available here.

As a way to kickoff the District's Moonshot Moment goal of 90% literacy by third grade, we worked with the School District of Indian River county to celebrate Literacy Day on Spetember 7, 2012.