Mesa council urged to continue to support, expand early-literacy programs

A parent of a Webster Elementary student recently urged the Mesa City Council to continue its support and expand programs for early literacy.

Jason Smithson, who is also a Mesa school board candidate, spoke during public comment at the council’s May 18 meeting about the importance of early-literacy programs for children in Mesa.

Smithson thanked the council for its continued support of the Mesa K-Ready program and other early education initiatives in the city.

According to the city of Mesa, the free K-Ready program serves children ages 3 to 5 in Mesa Public Schools and helps families prepare preschoolers for a smooth transition into kindergarten.

“Strengthening early literacy is one of the most important investments we can make because it directly shapes a child’s long-term success,” Smithson said.

Programs like Mesa K-ready and the family literacy program have real impact for the children of Mesa and their families, Smithson said.

“Many families face barriers to fully engaging in their child’s education,” he said. “Programs like the family literacy program show what’s possible when we meet them where they are.”

Mesa Public Schools offers family literacy classes at 11 elementary schools for parents of students in pre-K through third grade.

Smithson said the longstanding Mesa K-Ready initiative, “continues to change outcomes for students and parents alike.”

The classes help parents learn English, advance their computer skills, get their GED, and teach ways to support their child’s success in school.

“This program has equipped parents, especially English language learners, with the tools to support learning at home,” Smithson said.

“Expanding K-Ready builds on that foundation and extends opportunity to even more families across Mesa,” Smithson said. “And the urgency here is real.”

According to the 2025 DIBELS early literacy screener, a study of about 250,000 students across 43 states found about half of kindergarten students who were far behind in reading caught up by third grade, while only 5% of third graders who were significantly behind caught up by the end of the year.

Two-thirds of children in the U.S. who are not proficient readers by the end of fourth grade will later end up in jail or on welfare, according to the World Literacy Foundation.

The foundation also reports that more than 70% of people in American prisons read below a fourth-grade level, and 85% of juveniles in the court system have basic reading and writing skills, but not enough to fully manage everyday tasks.

Statistics like these prove the need for early literacy intervention, Smithson said.

“Literacy is not just an education issue. It’s a public safety and economic issue,” he said.

Mesa’s K-Ready program ran from late August 2025 to early May 2026 and offered free parent workshops twice a month on Wednesdays.

The workshops were held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Mesa Family Resource Center in Mesa Main Library and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Stevenson Elementary.
The sessions offered support in English and Spanish on early learning and parenting, provided age appropriate activities for children ages 3-5 while parents were in attendance, and made available referrals for vision, hearing, speech, and early intervention services and more.

Family literacy programs are offered from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Thursday at 11 MPS elementary schools.

For information about Family Literacy Programs, call Christine Niven at 480-472-7262.

For information about Mesa’s K-Ready program, visit Mesa Public School’s website at .

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