Osceola Reads with Footsteps2Brilliance Aims to Close County's Literacy Gap

This article first appeared in St. Cloud in the News.Osceola Reads is a five-year countywide literacy initiative aimed at increasing our children's literacy rate. Thanks to the School District of Osceola County, the Education Foundation of Osceola County, the cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud, and the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners, the mobile reading app, Footsteps2Brilliance, is free to all children in Osceola County. This program is not only available to children enrolled in Osceola County public schools, but also to other children within the community either at home, in a private school, or charter schools.Aiming to reach young minds before they start kindergarten, and continuing to develop as they grow, Osceola Reads with Footsteps2Brilliance ensures that local children have the tools necessary to learn to read. Currently, only 13% of children in Osceola County are academically prepared for the first day of elementary school. Footsteps2Brilliance offers engaging, interactive books and games focusing on phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and writing, with the goal to close the literacy gap for children entering kindergarten.To register, parents may go to www.OsceolaReads.com where they will be prompted to enter information to verify they are Osceola County residents. If their child is already enrolled in an Osceola County public school, they may finish their registration by using their child's 6 or 7-digit district identification number or their child's Super Secret Code (given to them by their teacher at school). For those families whose children are not enrolled in public school, are enrolled in a private school or preschool, or are too young to be in school, the parent may continue the registration process to access their child's Super Secret Code and receive their registration email.After registration is complete, parents should:

• download the Footsteps2Brilliance app onto the device of their choice (Footsteps2Brilliance is available on iOS, Amazon, Android, and NOOK)
• log in for the first time using the login information provided in their registration email to grant their child access to use the app on the device
• give their child their Super Secret Code

From here, the parents and child can share in growing their love for reading! Stay informed on Osceola Reads with Footsteps2Brilliance by following Osceola Reads on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.