New Read Ready Director, River Cities establish partnerships for kindergartners to Read Then Lead

Northern Kentucky’s River Cities have strengthened one of the region’s most promising collaborations with the addition of Marshelle Watkins-Blackwell, the new EducateNKY Read Ready Director.

The focus on Bellevue, Covington, Dayton, Ludlow, Newport and Southgate is to bring together governments, schools, libraries, healthcare, businesses, community agencies and families to support reading readiness by kindergarten. The unified effort is potentially transformational.

“I just really cemented myself in the River Cities,” explains Marshelle. “While I’m originally from Louisville, I came to attend Northern Kentucky University and made my life here. My entire career has been in these cities supporting families. Now I see generations coming up to me and they’ll yell, ‘hey Miss Blackwell,’ and I don’t recognize some of them because they are now in college or have started families.