It’s a weekday morning at a San Diego elementary school, and a group of parents and young kids are gathered in a classroom. At the front of the room, Maria Mariscal, a Program Coordinator with Words Alive, holds up a children’s book and starts reading.
It’s a welcoming space where families can sit together, listen and maybe learn a new way to make reading part of everyday life. That’s the idea behind nonprofit Words Alive: to help families feel confident reading together, so kids don’t just learn to read – they want to.
“It’s really fun just showing up with the cute kids,” Mariscal said. “But the most important thing that gives back is seeing the… bond between the parents, [helping] them actually learn things that they can continue doing on their own at home.”
More Than Storytime
There’s more to Words Alive than meets the page. What looks like a simple storytime is a launchpad for lifelong learning made possible by the families, volunteers and educators they support. The nonprofit is on a mission to boost literacy across generations by giving families the tools and confidence to build reading into everyday life.
“We have a serious problem here in San Diego,” said Rachael Orose, Executive Director of Words Alive. “Half of our kids do not read on grade level. If you’re a child that struggles to read, you’re going to be an adult that struggles to care for yourselves and your families.”
Words Alive programs support everyone from toddlers and teens to parents and educators because the path to lifelong reading doesn’t start in a classroom. It often starts at home.
Parents like Neyda Muedano see the difference in their children.
“She asks more questions. She feels more secure. She’s more independent,” Muedano said about her daughter. “That’s what reading together has done.”
Helping Teachers Reach Every Reader
Words Alive programs also support middle and high school students, where reading levels can vary widely in a single classroom.
“You have some students that are really strong readers and other students who really struggle,” said Jeffra Becknell, a high school teacher at Monarch School and a Words Alive board member. “These books are curated for our students by Words Alive. And they know our students. It’s a really powerful partnership we have.”
By working closely with teachers, Words Alive helps ensure every student can see themselves in the stories they read and stay engaged in their learning.
Partnering for Progress
San Diego Foundation (SDF) has supported Words Alive for years. Most recently, the nonprofit became one of 18 organizations supported through Ready to Learn, a new early literacy initiative launched in March 2025 by SDF and the Dr. Seuss Foundation.
“Families and schools are doing the best they can with the resources they have,” said Andrew Hawkins, a Words Alive volunteer. “But it really takes an all hands on deck movement to support literacy in our community.”
The Ready to Learn initiative builds on earlier support – including a $65,000 grant in 2024 – to help Words Alive lead literacy sessions for children ages 0–5 and their caregivers, giving families the tools to build strong reading habits from the start.
