San Benito, CA – August 14, 2019

County Superintendent of Schools, Krystal Lomanto, is pleased to announce San Benito County as the the first county-wide Footsteps2Brilliance Model Innovation County in the nation. With the recent addition of Hollister School District, under the leadership of Mr. Diego Ochoa and the Hollister Board of Trustees, every student and family with children ages birth to 3rd grade will now have FREE access to the Footsteps2Brilliance suite of early learning mobile apps. The suite includes three breakthrough early literacy mobile apps in English and Spanish, Footsteps2Brilliance™ School Edition, Clever Kids University® Pre-Reader, and Clever Kids University® I Can Read. The goal is to give every child a strong start by providing these apps for FREE to county residents.

“The San Benito County Office of Education and 10 districts have come together to fight illiteracy and provide families the resources they need to help their children succeed. We know that children who read on grade-level are more likely to graduate from high school and go on to higher levels of learning. We are realizing our vision of every child prepared for school and reading on grade level by grade 3. I commend the superintendents and districts of San Benito County for their vision and foresight in joining forces to eliminate illiteracy county-wide,” states Superintendent Lomanto.

Participating San Benito County districts include Aromas-San Juan Unified School District (Superintendent Michele Huntoon), Bitterwater-Tully Union School District (Principal/Teacher Candace Brewen), Cienega Union School District (Principal/Teacher Nancy MaClean), Hollister School District (Superintendent Diego Ochoa), Jefferson School District (Principal/Teacher Elizabeth Volmer), North County Joint Union School District (Superintendent Jenny Bernosky), Panoche School District (Principal/Teacher Amanda McCraw), Southside School District (Superintendent John Schilling), Tres Pinos Union School District (Superintendent Bronson Mendes-LoBue), and Willow Grove Union School District (Principal Linda Smith).
“We are thrilled to add Hollister School District to the Building Bridges 2 Literacy initiative. It is a testament to the commitment of every district in the county to ensure the success of every child. We encourage every family with children ages birth to 3rd grade that are not already registered to register for their free account at www.myf2b.com/register/sanbenitoCOE, and to begin using it with their children 15 minutes each day,” said Superintendent Lomanto.

To date, the students and families of San Benito County have achieved more than 114,400,000 Million Words Read on Footsteps2Brilliance®, the cornerstone of Superintendent Lomanto’s Building Bridges 2 Literacy Early Literacy Initiative. Superintendent Lomanto and the County School Board launched Building Bridges 2 Literacy in November 2016 to boost access to literacy for the students and families of San Benito County. Footsteps2Brilliance makes it easy for families to spend time reading with their children because it is free, accessible on any smart mobile device, and does not require internet once downloaded.

“We applaud Superintendent Lomanto and San Benito County school leaders for their unwavering commitment to bringing the gift of literacy to every child in the county. We applaud the teachers, students, and families of San Benito for their achievements to date on Footsteps2Brilliance and commend San Benito educators for collectively coming together for greater impact. We are honored to be a partner in this important work,” stated Ilene Rosenthal, Co-Founder & CEO of Footsteps2Brilliance.

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