The Lowcountry Literacy Project (LLP) and the Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) have partnered in a strategic alliance to support young readers across Charleston County. The partnership establishes a unified framework to connect structured, classroom tested reading strategies directly with neighborhood based library resources.
For years, LLP has worked internally with local schools and districts to train educators in evidence-based reading instruction. This formal collaboration expands that reach beyond school walls, building a synchronized network of support where teachers, librarians, and parents are all operating from the same instructional playbook.
"Schools can't do this work alone, and neither can families," said Lindsey Ballenger, Executive Director of the Lowcountry Literacy Project. "When schools, families, and communities are aligned around the same evidence-based approach, kids get consistent support wherever they are—and that's when we see real progress. This formal partnership with CCPL establishes the infrastructure to make that seamless alignment possible."
Both organizations are pooling resources, expertise, and community partnerships to reduce barriers to reading success and ensure that a child's ability to learn to read is never determined by their zip code, family income, or access to private services.
This summer, the CCPL and LLP launched a Summer Slide Education Series, hosting literacy workshops across five library branches with practical strategies to support reading at home. Building on that success, additional parent education topics are planned throughout the coming year, facilitated by the LLP Parent Coach, Katie Reel.
"Libraries play an important role in supporting learning beyond the classroom," said Cassie Welch, CCPL Children's System Coordinator. "By partnering with the Lowcountry Literacy Project, we're giving families greater access to the tools and support they need to help children become confident, successful readers."
The next phase of the collaboration will center at the Otranto Road Library, where the organizations will launch the area's first dedicated Decodable Readers Collection. Located just minutes from Ladson Elementary School—one of LLP's partner schools—Otranto provides an ideal setting for the pilot. Together, the partners will pilot a model that bridges schools, libraries, and homes by expanding access to decodable readers for early learners. These carefully designed books provide children with opportunities to practice the specific phonics skills they are learning in the classroom, helping build accuracy, confidence, and the automaticity that leads to fluent, successful reading.
Operational coordination, scheduling, and catalog updates for the new collections and workshops will roll out at library branches in September.