About
Liz Remington, Ray Oglethorpe, and Barbara Hammond
Mission Statement:
To transform our community’s future and become a model for the nation by creating a culture in which 90% of our children read on grade level by the end of third grade.
Vision Statement:
For our children to become literate, compassionate, creative citizens who will improve our world.
The Learning Alliance emerged from two parents’ efforts to help their children learn to read. Before they were co-founders, Barbara Hammond and Liz Remington were moms searching for ways to support their sons who were struggling in school. They were hands-on with their children and fortunate to have the means and resources necessary to catch them up.
Barbara and Liz were able to find a way for their kids, but it wasn’t easy, and they believed families shouldn’t have to be as lucky or well-resourced to get their children reading. They traveled the country looking for literacy best practices and saw the need for a better, more systematic approach to teaching literacy. Together with the help of a local philanthropist, they founded The Learning Alliance in 2009.
More than 15 years later, The Learning Alliance has supported hundreds of teachers and thousands of students across Indian River County, Florida.
GET INVOLVED
As a mom whose children struggled with reading, I experienced firsthand that learning to read is crucial to a child’s self-esteem and success in school and life. At TLA, we recognize that Literacy is a team sport, and we are deeply grateful to our investors and partners for joining us on the journey to help 90% of children read by the end of third grade so they can thrive beyond.
The Moonshot School launched this fall at Vero Beach Elementary (VBE), one of our highest-needs schools. While VBE students are some of the most economically challenged students in our community, we know that if we can achieve 90% literacy there, we can achieve it anywhere.
The Learning Alliance’s 2022 Moonshot Moment Campaign, “Faces of Early Literacy: Today’s Readers are Tomorrow’s Leaders” features large black and white posters of Indian River County children in hopes of generating conversations about literacy. These giant posters are part of a temporary art exhibit inspired by the global “Inside Out” art project featured on a 2011 TED Talk.
In 2022 we rebranded and reimagined Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative as Moonshot Families Early Learning.
Moonshot the Puppet, along with a few friends, appeared in classrooms, living rooms and throughout the community to continue teaching students virtually as we journey though the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 1, 2020, TLA acquired Kindergarten Readiness Collaborative (KRC), expanding our reach to 0-5 year olds.
Launched AIM Pathways PD
- Expanded MSA to 8 campuses
- Expanded 3GI to 12 campuses
- Added K-2 Coaches on 4 campuses
Launched Moonshot Monday's PLC
Added Third Grade Interventionists onto 5 campuses
CSAC awarded More Millage
UP Campaign Launched with SDIRC
MSI Summer Teacher Institute Launched
Team TLA launched the Moonshot Bookmobile to make literacy more accessible all around Indian River County. The Bookmobile gifts free books for all kids.
Moonshot Academy launched on school campuses
Conscious Discipline introduced at Indian River Academy
Since 2012, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading has recognized our Moonshot Moment movement as a Pacesetter and BrightSpot for our collaborative work toward the 90% literacy goal.
The Learning Alliance's Moonshot Goal of 90% literacy by the end of third grade was created.
Literacy Leaders / MCAN created
Fundations program is in 3 out of 13 schools
- Sonday introduced into schools
- Master Coach Training Initiated
- Moonshot Academy started at Gifford Youth Achievement Center (GYAC)
By aligning efforts across four areas, The Learning Alliance’s Moonshot Model
seeks to create a supportive ecosystem where every child can thrive in literacy.
Educator Coaching and Training
Embedded literacy coaches support over 350 K-2 educators across all elementary schools in the district.
Ongoing professional development ensures educators are equipped with effective reading instruction strategies.
Micro-credentials and literacy badges validate educators’ proficiency in the science of reading.
Afterschool and Summer Tutoring
Moonshot Academy offers literacy-based experiences to improve language comprehension and small-group tutoring to develop foundational reading skills in an engaging camp-like environment.
Literacy on the Lagoon offers hands-on, experiential learning about the Indian River Lagoon in partnership with the Environmental Learning Center.
Family Partnerships:
Moonshot Families initiative empowers caregivers with resources, including free books, learning kits, and reading tips.
Programs like the Lullaby Project engage families in creative literacy activities, strengthening the parent-child connection and building early language skills.
Family Partnerships:
Moonshot Families initiative empowers caregivers with resources, including free books, learning kits, and reading tips.
Programs like the Lullaby Project engage families in creative literacy activities, strengthening the parent-child connection and building early language skills.
Community Engagement:
The Moonshot Community Action Network (MCAN) unites over 125 community leaders to champion early literacy.
Initiatives like the Moonshot Reading Rocket bring literacy experiences directly to families throughout Indian River County.
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Discover Where The Learning Alliance Works across Indian River County
Financial Disclosure
As part of our commitment to transparency, we also want to acknowledge an endowment that we are fortunate to maintain. The endowment was established in 2023 by a donor who wished to make a single, large contribution and discontinue their annual giving; a small percentage of the endowment is now used to support our annual programs. To support the sustainability of our programs, we do not draw down on the majority of the endowment and therefore seek additional funding sources for the rest of our efforts.
