After decades of teaching elementary education, Sunnyland 1st grade teachers Kim Sutherland and Cami Burfeind know that when kids start learning to read, the world opens to them in extraordinary ways.

But reading isn’t a superpower. “Learning to read is a civil right,” says Burfeind. “It is supporting the issue of equity when we provide strong reading instruction.”

When Sutherland and Burfeind found research that showed better ways to teach reading, they jumped on the chance to improve learning for their students.  But as they began their new curriculum, they found that they didn’t have the tools and books they needed for their kids to have success.

“We knew we had materials that didn’t support where students were at,” says Burfeind. 

Sutherland applied for a BPSF Educator Grant to get the new materials in classrooms, purchasing books and resources over three years.

The new books are specifically designed to support their updated curriculum, offering developmentally appropriate resources that help kids understand how words work. 

“We teach them the why, and now the resources support them through reading the words,” Sutherland says.

Reading with the 1st graders at Sunnyland is interactive, with kids eagerly sounding out new language or using their fingers to isolate parts of words, breaking them down to recognizable parts. They show off the piles of books they’ve plowed through – stopping to point out their favorites – on their way to fluent reading.

The outcomes are notable. Since using the new curriculum, reading scores at Sunnyland have jumped from 64% at or above grade level in 2022-23 to 73% at or above in 2024-25. So far in 2026, they’re set to surpass their 2025 mark. 

Enrichment & Innovation Grants help teachers move the needle on student outcomes. When you support Enrichment & Innovation Grants, you’re not just funding materials. You’re giving students a faster way to reach their right to read.