Introducing Families READ, a new toolkit designed by educators to help families support their children’s reading skills at home. This collection provides families and caregivers with age-specific information and simple activities in five core reading skills—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension – and represents Minnesota’s continued commitment to expand literacy support.

“Summer is a perfect time for families to connect and learn together,” said MDE Commissioner Willie Jett. “Our new Families READ Toolkit includes easy, research-backed literacy activities families can use to engage minds, build family bonds, and set young learners up for a lifelong love of reading.”

The Families READ Toolkit educator resources and family activities can be integrated into families’ everyday lives and are available now on the READ Act Families READ toolkit webpage.

Join us for an upcoming Families READs Toolkit Overview webinar.

This session provides an overview of the Families READ Toolkit, sharing its key components and best practices for implementation. We'll address any questions you may have, ensuring you feel prepared to use this valuable resource. Registration is required.

Register for Families READs Toolkit Overview Tuesday, October 7, 2025, 2:30-3:15 p.m.

The Families READ Toolkit is made possible using federal investments, 84.371C-Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) program by the MDE CLSD Project under Award #S371C190002 - 22D.

Beginning this fall, Minnesota READ Act is offering training for Higher Ed professors who are teaching literacy courses in Minnesota teacher prep programs.

If you’re teaching literacy courses in Minnesota teacher prep programs and interested in receiving more information, please complete our Minnesota READ Act Higher Ed Professional Development survey with contact and teacher prep program information.

The Minnesota READ Act requires screening students in grades 4-12 who are not reading at grade level. This requirement includes multilingual learners and students receiving special education support. Students not reading at grade level must continue to receive evidence-based instruction, interventions, and progress monitoring until the students achieve grade-level proficiency.

The MDE approved screening tool for Grades 4-12 is Capti ReadBasix. The use of this MDE approved screening tool for students in grades 4-12 who are not reading at grade level is required in the 2025-26 school year (See the MDE screening guidance 4-12 webpage for more details).

The effective use of Capti ReadBasix will support educators in identifying and targeting precise literacy skills in order to guide instruction and maximize reading potential for all students who are not reading at grade level.

The Minnesota Department of Education’s Division of Early Education is excited to a announce a partnership with Unite for Literacy and introduce our own state “bookshelf” known as Minnesota READs. This library is an incredible resource for multilingual learners, their families, their teachers, and other caregivers, and we encourage you to share the link widely with your networks.

• Unite for Literacy is a totally free online library. No logins or passwords are required and there are no pop-up ads.
• Books for young children are written and narrated in over 60 languages, including books interpreted into ASL.
• Printed copies of books in the library are also available for purchase at a very reasonable price through Unite for Literacy.