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A BRIGHT START
For Reading Success
WORDS & PICTURES: Jessica Schubick
The Nemours Reading BrightStart!
Program for Early Literacy Success
(NRBS!) is dedicated to the
prevention of reading failure in young
children. The Early Learning Coalition
of Manatee County (ELC) implemented
NRBS! in childcare centers locally
in November 2015. At that time, nine
centers and 17 classrooms were involved
in the launch of the program, impacting
220 students.
The program has not only proven
successful in combatting reading failure in
Manatee County’s children, but it has been
growing in popularity as well! This year, the
NRBS! program is in 46 classrooms at 19
centers. Seven of these centers are new to
the program this year, including three new
locations at schools within the Manatee
County School District.
Started in 2005 through the generous
funding of the Nemours Foundation
(a large pediatric health system), the
NRBS! program utilizes a unique and
highly effective instructional curriculum
to assist in closing the reading readiness
achievement gap for struggling, diverse,
young learners, before they enter
elementary school. NRBS! promotes
reading success for all children through
innovative, evidence-based early literacy
programs, tools, and services. The
NRBS! instructional programs, designed
to benet children struggling with these
skills, have helped thousands of young
children in classrooms across the country.
Success in Manatee County
Research based on Manatee County’s
NRBS! participants in the 2017-2018
school year conrmed that the program
has been remarkably successful in
helping local children struggling with
literacy skills. In the fall of that school
year, 261 children from 18 classrooms