Coulee Region RSVP located in La Crosse, WI collaborates with the African American Mutual Assistance Network, Inc.’s (AAMAN) Clara Fields Multicultural Literacy Program (CFMLP) to teach children to read by the time they enter kindergarten. The only program of its kind in La Crosse County and Southwest Wisconsin, CFMLP focuses on pre-kindergarten literacy as a way to actively reverse the National Center for Education’s current statistic that two out of every three students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. Locally, the Great River’s United Way 2012 Compass Now Community Health Assessment recognizes that participation in high quality early childhood education programs before age five can have positive effects on children’s cognitive, language, and social development. In addition, evaluations of prekindergarten programs have found that children exposed to high quality early education were less likely to drop out of school, repeat grades, or need special education. Knowing that education, specifically the ability to read, is the single most important factor in the deterrence of poverty, violence and crime, the Clara Fields Multicultural Literacy Program developed a unique curriculum designed to teach 3 and 4 year olds early literacy skills, including phonological awareness and vocabulary development, creating a solid foundation for the future of their academic success. AAMAN’s Multicultural Literacy Program opened in June 2010 with six students, two of which were adopted from Ethiopia, with one speaking very little English. AAMAN’s program worked with the parents and children to build good social skills and cultural understanding. Since RSVP’s partnership with African American Assistance Network in June of 2012, the CFMLP has grown to proudly serve 27 students from a variety of socio-economic and ethnically diverse backgrounds, a major accomplishment in a community that has less than 6% ethnic diversity. With only a full-time staff of two, RSVP is a crucial partner in the self-sustainability of the program as the primary source of volunteer assistance, helping to keep a 2 to 1 student/teacher ratio. RSVP volunteers have served over 300 hours providing the support necessary for the students to succeed academically. CFMLP has a 100% graduation rate, based on an 11-unit curriculum supporting phonics, vocabulary, listening, social, and behavioral skills, as well as a 200 sight word minimum. CFMLP graduates enter kindergarten reading two grade levels above their peers, giving them a greater advantage for academic success and are often placed in advanced or accelerated classes. Enrollment for the program is estimated to reach 40 students this September. The real impact of this program exists in AAMAN’s visionary approach to changing the current mindset behind teaching. Statistic after statistic explains the risks associated with students who have poor literacy skills. In response, CFMLP along with RSVP volunteers are completely transforming the old way of educating by providing the tools necessary for students to read at grade level long before 4th grade, allowing these students to enter kindergarten not only ahead of the game but fundamentally ahead in life.