Dea Wright is featured in the National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading initiative’s video celebrating the important role of Children's Museums in early education. Watch to learn more!

Barbershop Books works "to expand reading opportunities for Black boys by creating and supporting fun reading experiences in barbershops," according to their website.

The organization also reports that 82% of Black male 4th-grade students in the United States are not proficient in reading. A stat DJ called "astonishing."

"There's just not a lot of books that entertain them as far as their history, as far as where they come from," DJ explained while touching up Zeckarias' hair. "I think it's hard to read when there's nothing that represents you."

Dea Wright, the Director of the Office of Early Childhood Initiatives, is the one responsible for bringing the program to Wisconsin.

Parents can explore Milwaukee-area parks with their little ones in a new way with the installation of storybooks that can be read by walking along park pathways.

The Story Paths are the latest PopSpots, interactive spaces designed to create a mighty small moment of learning for a young child, featuring colorful illustrations, simple phrases, and an opportunity to be active while learning. The Story Paths are located at the 12th & Wright St. playground and Southgate Playfield in Milwaukee.

The city of Milwaukee's Office of Early Childhood Initiatives (OECI) is building their "Mighty Small Moments" mission, to make parents the first teachers for children.We want to transform everyday places and spaces by doing our part to make sure parents have access to literacy and language-rich opportunities," said Dea Wright, OECI's director.

Their newest initiative brings reading opportunities to a favorite space for families - community parks.

Just 15 minutes of playing, reading, singing and interacting with your child can help build important connections to family members and the community.

That’s the message the City of Milwaukee’s Office of Early Childhood Initiatives, or OECI, is stressing as it rolls out the Mighty Small Moments public service campaign.

One of the campaign’s messages is that kids are like sponges, which is to say they are constantly absorbing information and experiences, all of which affects the people they become as they age.

MCTS, MPS and city of Milwaukee team up to create interactive bus stops for kids

MCTS bus shelters will serve as a colorful canvas for young children to engage and develop.