Our thinking has been influenced by research done by others and independently validated. (See linked references below.) 

1. Reading to very young children stimulates brain activity and contributes to school performance. 
2. Owning and displaying books at home is one of the best—and easiest—ways a family can nurture academic success. 
3. Recognizing that the 3rd grade is a critical milestone is key.  A student who is not reading at grade level at the end of the 3rd grade is four times more likely to drop out of high school.  Add poverty to the mix, and a student is 13 times more like to drop out.
4. Middle school math competency is essential for high school success and determines the lifetime income of the student.
5. Students who do not continue their education beyond high school are economically disadvantaged for their whole lives, diminishing national productivity.

BASIC is committed to providing educational opportunities which will augment our students’ classroom experiences. 
​We want to help our students move up academically into the mainstream.

Originally, we focused our attention on the college-bound student, but we came to realize that the real concern and time for intervention lay earlier: reading, writing, and arithmetic in the grades leading up to high school graduation.  This was the inception of BASIC’s “C2G” campaign—a five-part Cradle-to-Graduation Program.

A two-year, in-depth review, based on best-practices and peer-reviewed research (see linked references below),
​lead to the creation of BASIC’s Cradle-to-Graduation Program. This C2G Program consists of five parts:

1. Putting books in the hands of preschoolers.  Kindergarten readiness improves, and positive effects are measurable thereafter.  BASIC partners with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to ensure that enrolled children receive a free, age-appropriate book monthly, delivered to their homes, from birth until age 5.  There are now over 100 children benefiting from this program in Borrego. 
2. Intervening in the elementary school.  BASIC’s Summer Learning Academy helps students to move toward reading at grade level. More than 50% of Borrego’s 3rd grade students failed California’s statewide proficiency exam in 2016.  The 3rd grade is critical as the students transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” for the rest their school years.  Since 2017, we have supported the summertime Learning Academy for 2nd and 3rd graders and launched a third literacy class for older children; since the summer of 2018, we have also held a math class for middle school students.
3. Providing in-classroom assistance with mathematics in Middle School.  BASIC has funded an in-class teacher’s aide for  three years to help those struggling with math get back on track. 
4. Reinforcing early literacy education in Latino families via the Latino Family Literacy Program.
5. Offering scholarships to high school graduates who wish to continue their education, as well as to adults desiring to return to school.  Applicants fall into two categories:  Start-School scholars and Stay-in-School scholars.  All applicants are reviewed by a committee of professional educators.  

[1]  The latest year of available data  is here: California School Ratings Zip Code 92004
[2]    Meeting with Elementary School Principal and teachers, February 2016
[3]    California Dept of Education, Standardized Testing And Reporting (STAR) Results for Borrego Springs Middle School 2013 and PDF here
[4] To Read or Not to Read, PDF of Dissertation, Bus 2010;
      To Read or Not to Read: A Meta-Analysis... Psychological Bulletin, American Psychological Association, Mol & Bus, 2011, PDF of Article.
[5] Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL): PDF Review Article, 2012, vol 5, no. 3: Relationship Between Age of Onset and Frequency of Reading and Infants’ and Toddlers’ Early Language and Literacy Development by Dunst, Simkus & Hamby.
[6]  American Academy of Pediatrics News 2015 weblink, Parent-Child-Reading-and-Story-Time-Promote-Brain-Development-Prior-to-Kindergarten and PDF of Full Article  
[7] Springboard Collaborative website 
[8] New York Times, December 6, 2015: The Gift of Reading
[9] Reading is Fundamental website
[10] The Future of Children, website and Journal of the Princeton-Brookings Collaboration
[11]  New Evidence on the Benefits of Small Group Math Instruction for Young Children, and PDF of Full Article , Brookings Institution, June 2018
[12]  Literacy Challenges for the 21st Century, The Future of Children, vol. 22, no. 2, Fall 2012, Princeton-Brookings
[13]  Starting Early , The Future of Children, vol. 26, no.2, Fall 2016, Princeton-Brookings
[14] Talking with Children Matters: Defending the 30-million Word Gap, Brookings Institution
[15] The Impact of Family Income on Child Achievement , American Economic Review, 2012, 102(5).
[16] The Hutchins Center Explains: Why Programs for Young Children are Long-Term Investments , Brookings Institution, April 2017
[17]  Annie E Casey Foundation “Early Warning Confirmed: A Research Update on Third-Grade Reading”  and PDF of Full Article , Nov 2013 
[18]  Article in CALmatters On the Value of Preschool for All, Jan 2019  
[19] Article in Ohio State News, A “million word gap” for children who aren’t read to at home , April 4, 2019, based on research article When Children are not Read to at Home , Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, June 2019, Vol. 40, Issue 5, p.383-6.