Delaware is currently facing a silent crisis in its classrooms. With the state ranking 43rd nationally in education, the statistics are staggering: 75% of fourth-graders are not proficient in reading, and up to 80% of children from underserved communities enter kindergarten already behind. While many look to the K-12 system for answers, the science suggests we are looking too late. With 90% of brain development occurring before age three, the architecture of a child’s future is built long before they ever see a chalkboard.
The Legacy of Literacy Circle, a pilot cohort program by GIFT CONNECT, is proving that we don’t have to wait for children to fail before we intervene. From November 2025 to February 2026, a group of 11 Delaware families, including 15 members such as siblings, grandparents, and fathers, embarked on a 12-week journey that didn’t just teach reading — it transformed the very fabric of their homes.
Transformational Results
The pilot cohort revealed a dramatic shift in how families engage with early literacy and each other. Responses from six families at the mid-point evaluation and five families at the end-of-program evaluation show changes in parenting practices, parent-child relationships, and family engagement.
- Only half of the participating families sang to their children daily at the start of the program. This rose to 100% by the end of the twelve-week period.
- 83% of parents/caregivers report feeling connected to other caregivers after the program, up from 0% at the start.
- All families left feeling they understood early brain development.
- 100% of participants said they would recommend the Legacy of Learning Circle program to others.
Beyond these headlines, the program led to a significant increase in library engagement. While 60% of families did not have a library card at the start of the program, 100% of those families signed up for one during the 12-week period and now recommend library visits to future cohorts.
Backed By the Six Loving Habits
The program’s success is anchored in the evidence-based Six Loving Habits curriculum — Speak, Sing, Read, Play, Count, and Serve & Return — supported by AI-powered technology and high-touch interventions.
- Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project: Using music to create unique bonding experiences.
- The Gift Connect Parenting Suite App: An AI-powered parenting assistant providing 24/7 support, including a song and story generator that helps parents reinforce habits during late-night feedings or challenging toddler moments.
- Wraparound Support: Through a partnership with the YMCA of Delaware, families received childcare, meals, and transportation, removing the structural barriers that often prevent participation.
Facing the Hidden Crisis of Isolation
One of the most striking findings from the pilot was that 0% of parents reported feeling connected to a community at the start of the program. Isolation isn’t just an emotional burden; it’s a developmental one. Without a village, parents lack the modeling and shared knowledge necessary to be their child’s first teacher. By the end of the program, 83% reported feeling connected to a peer network, effectively reversing the COVID generation isolation that has hindered many young families.
Addressing Trauma
The Legacy of Literacy Circle extends beyond surface-level teaching. Facilitators recognized resistance to the program, facing a 55% retention rate. But the pilot program revealed something crucial: what presents as disinterest or practical excuses is often rooted in unprocessed childhood trauma. When parents are asked to reflect on their own upbringing to break generational patterns, it can be painful. This dynamic isn’t a program failure — it’s an inherent challenge of trauma-informed work with families who have experienced systemic harm, poverty, and intergenerational trauma. Future cohorts will integrate mental health support into targeted sessions, providing real-time assistance for parents navigating vulnerable moments.
The program is now expanding to reachpregnant mothers to address womb trauma, as well. The American Psychological Association found that chronic stress during pregnancy affects a baby’s developing nervous system before they are even born, and is linked to behavioral problems as they get older. By starting the Legacy journey during pregnancy, GIFT CONNECT aims to move upstream, ensuring babies arrive with a foundation of connection rather than stress.
Beyond the Toddler Years
The impact of this work extends beyond the children and their parents or caregivers. At the conclusion of the first cohort, we asked additional family members, such as siblings, aunts, and grandparents, to discuss the program’s impact.
- One 16-year-old daughter shared how the program changed her mother, making her more patient and loving.
- Fathers reported moving from “avoiding” playtime due to exhaustion to actively looking forward to connecting with their children.
- Grandmothers attended the sessions to ensure that the Six Loving Habits were being reinforced consistently across all caregivers.
A Vision for Delaware’s Future
This pilot wasn’t just a charity project; it’s an infrastructure investment in human capital. Research by the Center for High Impact Philanthropy indicates that high-quality early childhood programs deliver a 7:1 return on investment by reducing future costs in special education and criminal justice and increasing lifetime earnings.
Mississippi—once 49th in education—rose to 16th through similar intensive literacy reforms. Their success demonstrates that even the most challenging states can achieve transformational outcomes through investment, intervention, and sustained commitment. We believe Delaware can have its own literacy miracle by focusing on the birth to three window, through the foundation of the Legacy of Literacy Circle program.
Throughout the day, Edutainment songs by Global Ambassador Stellar Mengele, including the Abujubuju Baby Song and My Baby, were played to make learning joyful and memorable. Mengele also delivered an interactive training-style speech, reinforcing practical caregiving skills.
What’s Next?
Based on participants’ feedback, GIFT CONNECT is planning to expand and improve upon the Legacy of Literacy Circle program in the following ways:
- Spanish Language Expansion: Connecting with more families in their native language to ensure they have access to the same knowledge, tools, and community as English speakers.
- YMCA Statewide Scaling: Utilizing the YMCA’s network to reach families across the entire state. Wilmington is only one city — to create a true impact throughout the state, we need to reach everyone.
- Parent Ambassador Roles: 80% of current graduates want to lead and mentor the next cohorts. When we invest deeply in parents, they become advocates who multiply the program’s reach far beyond what staff alone could achieve. Their voices carry authenticity that no marketing can replicate.
- Virtual Book Club: Focusing on “The Love Languages of Children” to deepen parents’ understanding of how their children receive and express love.
- Monthly Family Meetups: Virtual and in-person meetups will enable the community connections families built throughout the program to stay in touch and continue learning from one another.
The Time is Now
Waiting until third grade to fix literacy is not just ineffective, it’s a moral failure. By then, 90% of brain development has already occurred, and behavioral patterns have been established. Intervention at that point is not effective — it’s remediation of damage that was preventable by early childhood development programs.
The Legacy of Literacy Circle is choosing a different path: planting seeds in the first three years of life — seeds of language, connection, confidence, and love — so that, when children reach third grade and beyond, they flourish. The return on investment is inevitable when we address the root rather than the symptom.
Every child born in Delaware deserves parents who are equipped, supported, and empowered to be their first and most important teacher. Every family deserves access to the science of how their baby’s brain develops. Every community deserves to see its children enter school ready to succeed. This is where Delaware’s miracle begins, and a legacy of literacy is built.
Thank you to our partners who make the Legacy of Literacy Circle program possible!
