Recognizing that reading is fundamental to the success of today's youth, the award-winning fellows of the Kohl McCormick Academy of Outstanding Educators have helped create the Kohl McCormick StoryBus, a supplemental early literacy program that consists of curriculum, professional development for teachers, and a spectacular culminating event: the StoryBus itself, a 37-foot Winnebago that's been transformed into a children's literacy museum on wheels.

"I can't think of anything more important to our future than literacy," says Dolores Kohl, President and CEO of the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation. "Literacy is key to preventing children from failure. We now have a national mandate that all of our nation's children be able to read by the end of third grade. The StoryBus helps to develop that proficiency by providing a magical place for young children to experience language."

Says David L. Grange, President and CEO of the McCormick Tribune Foundation,"The Kohl McCormick StoryBus has been a fixture in early childhood education for five years. The StoryBus provides a hands-on, fun approach to literacy that leads to life-long language and reading skills critical for the
preschool years and beyond."

The StoryBus is helping to create a solid foundation for reading and future success for thousands of children in Chicago's low-income communities.