The U.S. Department of Education embraces the goal of ensuring more children learn to read by the end of third grade as part of its broader effort to create a “true cradle-to-career continuum,” said Jacqueline Jones, Senior Advisor for Early Learning to the Secretary of Education.

“We’re doing everything we can to build a strong foundation from birth to preschool, and then we’re looking for ways to improve kindergarten through third grade,” Jones said Thursday on a webinar with communities involved in the All-America City Grade-Level Reading network. She praised the network’s 160+ communities for their commitment to improve early literacy and said she was pleased by the overlap with the department’s goals.

Jones leads the department’s new Office of Early Learning, and described its mission as improving “the health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes for all children birth through third grade, especially those with high needs.”

She also discussed the components of an effective early learning system, which includes standards both for program quality and early learning goals, data collection, health promotion, family and community engagement, professional development, and a comprehensive assessment system.

“We need to both be responsible for the whole child and support that birth to third grade continuum,” Jones said.

A recording of the webinar will be posted in the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading’s webinar archive as soon as available.