Camesha Cox

Camesha is changing literacy outcomes for Black and racialized children by redefining parental involvement through culturally inclusive and evidence-based programs. By working with delivery partners, her approach empowers parents and caregivers, aiming to rebuild the connection between these communities and education, ultimately fostering knowledge, confidence and self-esteem.

In Canada, while Black students make up 8.2% of the student population, they face disproportionately high rates of suspension, expulsion, dropout, and placement into applied programs compared to their peers. Notably, the Toronto District School Board stands as the only school board in the country collecting detailed disaggregated data, shedding light on long-standing concerns about marginalized students being streamed away from academic pathways. This persistent pattern has far-reaching consequences, significantly hindering their prospects in both post-secondary education and employment. Founded in 2011, Camesha’s organization, The Reading Partnership (TRP), focuses on enhancing literacy levels for Black and other racialized children, aiming to narrow the disparities they encounter within the educational system by providing early-stage support. She accomplishes this by redefining and shifting the role of parents and caregivers through culturally inclusive, evidence-based programming that is free from racial bias. Recognizing that the education system does not have data collection measures in place to identify this problem and be held accountable to addressing it, Camesha has shed light on the issue through extensive research. In 2013, she conducted consultations in her region of Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) in Toronto to underline the problem with parents and other community stakeholders. Building on this new sense of accountability in the community based on her team’s research, their data collection efforts continue to be an integral part in supporting TRP’s work.

Camesha recognizes that when parents feel respected, heard, and equipped with the right tools to support their children, they are more likely to engage in their child's learning journey. Her intervention primarily focuses on parents and caregivers, aiming to mend the relationship between Black and other racialized communities with education. Through in-person, online, and asynchronous play-based literacy programs, TRP has developed a parental engagement model that fosters confidence, self-esteem, and knowledge. These programs cater to parents with busy schedules, those who had negative experiences with the public education system themselves, and those facing external obstacles hindering their involvement. This approach prioritizes respect and inclusivity in program delivery, ensuring that all stakeholders, both parents and children actively participate, commit, and take ownership of the learning. Fostering a sense of community, the play-based literacy programs provide parents with a complimentary Lit Kit comprising culturally relevant and inclusive literacy materials and books designed by Camesha and local educators, a testament to her creativity and artistic sensibilities.

To expand the scope of this effort, Camesha collaborates closely with Program Delivery Partners (PDPs), including school boards, EarlyON Child and Family Centres for caregivers with children under six, and various community organizations. Currently, Camesha's programs are operational in both Ontario and Nova Scotia. Her team is leveraging TRP’s materials and system thinking to recruit local educators (working in PDPs), train them, and support them with a blueprint outreach plan. From there, PDPs then map their local systems and identify relevant stakeholders such as schools and local trustees to leverage as outreach hubs and program delivery spaces if need be. Educators, politicians, and community leaders agree that Camesha is creating new norms for parental involvement. She is introducing parents to practices that were not traditionally modelled for them (while showing educators and PDPs how to do it); instilling respect, relationships, and cultural sensitivity through a grassroots movement that harnesses their existing, yet untapped, strengths. By employing a community-based model and integrating innovative approaches to utilize local resources, she is nurturing early childhood education with reading as the primary vector. This comes at an important time because in 2022, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) found Ontario’s approach to reading interventions to be deficient and lacking evidence, resulting in many students failing to learn foundational word-reading skills. This is a challenge that Camesha is facing head on by bringing in school boards as PDPs. By the spring of 2024, she will be working in partnership with one school board in Ontario, whereby TRP’s programming will be run by their staff, and will focus on bringing more school boards into the fold of PDPs delivering the program within communities. As school boards have access to existing resources, they are well placed to facilitate enhanced research and evaluation and standardized testing. By entering into data sharing agreements with school boards, Camesha can capture information relevant to TRP’s approach and identify additional gaps or opportunities for early screening and interventions.

By grade 3, reading and writing skills become vital for students to learn more complex subjects and to advance in their education path. Without this foundation, students can face significant challenges in their education, which is why parents’ engagement in early literacy activities is crucial. Yet, for Black and other racialized families, marginalization and structural disparities when engaging the public education system present additional hurdles for literacy activities with their children. In the Greater Toronto area, for instance, a report on Race Equity in Education underlines a gap: 53% of Black students are in academic pathways in comparison to 81% of White students. On the flip side, 39% of Black students make up the applied programs, which focuses on practical skills instead of abstract concepts, in comparison to 16% of White students. The practice of streaming students to lower education tracks was initiated in 1999 in Ontario to prepare students who do not meet certain grade levels for manual or skilled occupations. The intention behind this system was not to foster systemic divisions among students, but the way the policy was implemented resulted in divergent outcomes for youth down the road; a contrast that has well been documented by Camesha and her team.

In general, it is difficult to get the pulse on the exactitude of the issue since only one school board in the country collects disaggregated demographic information, and data collection on Black people’s educational experiences in Canada is lacking, which contributes to the problem. This lack of data is a broader problem across the country, making it hard to grasp the experiences of racialized families and young people with public services (including education). As a result, school boards remain unaware of the specific barriers Black students encounter. But Statistics Canada shows that there are ongoing differences in how Black youth experience the formal education system compared to non-Black youth. People who work closely with Black, immigrants, and low-income communities recognize that there isn't enough investment in schools and programs for these groups, largely because there isn't enough detailed data available.

Research has made it clear that when parents aren't actively involved in their child's reading, it can lead to less interest in reading and lower academic performance. Many families, especially those with multiple jobs or caregiving duties, may find it challenging to prioritize reading aloud and helping with schoolwork. This challenge is even more significant for families who have had negative experiences with formal education systems or have limited knowledge about available supports. As a result, they may be hesitant to engage with schools and teachers due to experiences of racism and discrimination. According to The Global Mail, approximately 42% of Black students in the Toronto District School Board have faced suspension at least once before completing high school. For this segment of the population, who have lived through institutional neglect and a lack of investment, out-of-school programs and resources are essential for their children's success. However, the current programs often don't align culturally and are scheduled at inconvenient times.

Moreover, educators often lack confidence when it comes to supporting parents and children in literacy-based interventions. In Canada, teacher certification and training vary by province, resulting in distinct educational practices across the country. In addition, a study by the Canadian Literacy Foundation, published in 2021, revealed that only 25% of Early Childhood Educators (ECE) feel they possess an excellent understanding of early language and literacy milestones for children under five. Consequently, ECEs often lack confidence in engaging with parents and providing advice on early literacy activities. And since ECEs serve as the first point of contact with public education for families, these initial interactions with educators are critical, especially for racialized parents. In recent years and following the OHRC's Right to Read report, there has been a shift towards evidence-based practices, such as the science of reading, focusing on phonics and sound-based instruction. But upskilling educators remains slow.

Through TRP, Camesha is committed to improving literacy among Black and other racialized young children. Her approach is about fostering strong connections between parents and kids, kindling their enthusiasm for reading and writing. The key initial step is to get buy-in from the community. From there, her team and PDPs empower parents with evidence-based literacy programming and tools to engage their children. This approach started initially in her electoral district of Scarborough-Guildwood and it now runs through 10 PDPs including one school board, eight community organizations and EarlyON Child and Family Centres, and one library (Toronto Public Library, which is the largest in Canada). These PDPs represent a network of institutions and organizations serving a large portion of Black and racialized families.

Once equipped with the TRP’s outreach blueprint, the PDPs initial step is to recruit parents where they typically congregate. Recognizing the importance of trust building, this approach is about cultivating environments that encourage parents to openly share their experiences and challenges in supporting their child’s learning journey. This is particularly crucial, given that many racialized families have had negative experiences with the public school system. Fostering dialogue among parents creates a sense of community, which becomes the foundation for them to move onwards with TRP. Camesha and her team also ensure that the parents’ experience is assessed throughout to make sure they feel valued and heard to maintain their trust and motivation in their child’s journey.

Camesha’s cornerstone programs are the Reading Partnership for Parents (RPP) and the Reading Partnership for Black Parents (RPBP). RPBP is the affinity program for Black families and Black facilitators. These weekly play-based literacy programs are using the science of reading, an evidence-based approach to literacy instruction that places an emphasis on phonological awareness, having fun, and decoding skills to educate parents on how to teach their children how to read. The TRP’s programs are free and culturally relevant and held in locations that are convenient for parents. With a mix of in-person, online, and asynchronous delivery methods, RPP remains accessible to parents and caregivers that have difficult schedules to manage. To ensure that participants fully reap the program’s benefits, parents or caregivers must commit to active involvement in each session with their children. An agreement is established between the child and caregiver, fostering shared responsibility and dedication to succeeding in the program. Whether online or in-person, each session is structured in three segments: 1) guided learning with a facilitator, 2) dedicated educational playtime for the children, and 3) practice session for both parents and children. During these sessions, parents are encouraged to ask questions and engage with the instructional team, equipping them with the skills to effectively continue lessons at home. This holistic step-by-step- approach not only enhances the children’s abilities but also bolsters the confidence of the parents/caregivers.

As a result of their participation in the RPP and RPBP, parents report feeling empowered when assisting their children with schoolwork and or communicating with school administrators regarding their child’s educational needs. In an assessment conducted to review RPP’s impact since 2018, all parents who participated reported newfound confidence in assisting their children with homework, with 89% noting a noticeable improvement in their children’s attitude towards reading. Additionally, for many of these parents, the depth of programming offered by Camesha and her team were something they had not encountered during their own upbringing, and the program has also contributed to their understanding of reading skills fundamentals. Her programs and resources have not only benefited parents and their children, but ECEs/educators are now better equipped to do their jobs and advise caregivers when required.

Aware of the lack of culturally relevant educational materials, Camesha, drew from her experience as an artist and crafted literacy tools and books that represent the communities she serves. Black and other racialized characters are featured in these carefully developed resources. From the Tiny Tales book series and the letter sound cards, TRP's free "Lit Kit" (literacy kit) is a one-stop shop for educational tools that promote early literacy and diversity. Rather than relying solely on one-on-one assessments conducted by educators, Camesha has innovatively developed a digital assessment tool. This tool features a character from the Tiny Tales series, who guides children through the assessment process. This engaging and gamified approach enables Camesha's team to gather data from various PDPs. Based on the assessment outcomes, her team can then pinpoint areas where improvements are needed to better support families in the PDP’s local area. The assessment is used to determine if the child is a right fit for the program, captures where they are pre- program, and confirms the rate of improvement post- program. Collected data help TRP identify trends in student outcomes and that information can be used to make decisions for program improvements, etc. Through the inclusion of a diverse array of characters and their narratives, Camesha is actively championing equality and justice, a commitment that has garnered attention and support from multiple stakeholders in both Ontario and Nova Scotia. Partnering with EarlyON Child and Family Centres is an astute way to ensure the sustainability of her programs because such organizations are provincially funded and are present in every electoral district.

Camesha understands the importance of balanced growth to maintain high-quality control across various PDPs. The team continually adjusts their training, assessment tools, and resource allocation in response to a stream of data. Sitting at an inflection point, this strategy allows her to identify both areas of improvements and successes. The goal is to establish a robust foundation before embarking a widespread roll out. Camesha has recently formed a strategic partnership with the Toronto Public Library (the largest library system in the country) to test a pilot project that enables their staff to deliver the Reading Partnership on Demand (R-POD), an asynchronous version of RRP where parents can access the program and a free Lit Kits at their convenience. If this pilot is successful, it would set the condition for a replication leveraging other libraries. To ensure sustainability and expansion, Camesha has managed to secure long-term funding from key donors such as the TD Bank Group, United Way of Greater Toronto, the Northpine Foundation, and Acorn Seed Foundation. With an increase in buy-in, she is filling important gaps in the data. In collaboration with the Canadian Children's Literacy Foundation and the Black Health Alliance, she will soon publish a comprehensive study on the experiences of Black families in Canada who seek to support their children’s reading. This would also serve as a key leverage to get the educational system onboard to track and share desegregated data.

Growing up in Scarborough, a predominantly Black and low-income neighbourhood, Camesha was exposed to the challenges and institutional barriers faced by Black and immigrant communities. When she was nine, her mother passed away and she began spending most of her time reading at home, which she credits for keeping her busy, out of trouble, and helping her develop strong oral and written communication skills. Camesha joined the YMCA Black Achievers program, attended her first poetry session, and decided to become a spoken word artist. As a youth she was performing to audiences on stage and on national TV stations such as CBC, YTV, and TVO.

She then went on to study business and later education at the University of Windsor (UWin) but kept working on creative projects by minoring in drama. Her first changemaking initiative, the UWin’s African Diaspora Festival, addressed the lack of programming for Black students on campus. This festival explores the history and culture of African and Afro-Caribbean peoples and celebrates their contributions to the city of Windsor and Canada as a whole. Initially, Camesha recruited a team of students and raised funds needed to help run the first festival. Before she left the university, she secured a dedicated and paid coordinator, space, and funds for the festival funded from the student union. The festival continues to run to this day, thanks to Camesha’s effort in institutionalizing it.

In 2007, following her business degree, Camesha moved to New York City to work with a creative non-profit agency. She later moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to work on women’s empowerment issues before returning to Canada. After graduating from teacher’s college at UWin in 2009, Camesha relocated to Hackney, London, UK, where she joined the Bridge Academy and worked as a literacy specialist. Her work in the UK opened her eyes to the great need there was in community and sparked the idea of what would become The Reading Partnership. Returning to Canada, she went on to earn her Master of Education and, in 2011, founded TRP.