1964
- Betty Mohlenbrock obtains a Masters Degree in Education with an emphasis as a Reading Specialist and begins a career as an elementary school teacher; teaching in various schools in Chicago and St. Louis.
- During her career she is keenly aware that reading aloud in the classroom is an effective method to reach children of varying reading abilities and becomes convinced of its importance in the emotional and educational development of the child.
I observed such a difference between children that had the wonderful experience of reading in the home with parents and other family members reading with them and those that had not.
I knew universally, we as parents love our kids. It’s not that we intentionally are not reading to them. It is a known truth that this is such an important activity. It’s the single best predictor of a child’s success in reading that we read aloud with them in the early years. The foundation for children’s future success in education starts with reading.
1967
- Betty’s husband Bill, a Navy flight surgeon, is transferred to Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado (NASNI) in San Diego, California and Betty, Bill, and Kem (their 1-year-old daughter) relocate. Bill undergoes a 10-month deployment to the Vietnam War during which time Kem turns two years old.
- Betty spends her time during Bill’s deployment tutoring children on reading and literacy issues, but is reminded daily of the importance of reading aloud with children because of the bonding relationship she experiences with her own child.
He was in the Navy for six years as a flight surgeon and was deployed while our daughter turned two years of age. He was gone 10 months, and it was during the Vietnam era when there was no e-mail.
When he returned, she didn’t even know him.
That impacted me.
I thought, ‘I know the military experience. Why not help military families read with their children using technology?’
- Betty wanted to find a way to keep her daughter and husband connected during deployment and realized that her family’s experience was far from unique in the military community.
- During this period she starts thinking of different ways to help children of military families through some sort of large-scale project, possibly by using television or video-recordings, focusing on the read-aloud experience and featuring an accessible, engaging television personality reading stories.
1984
- The joy of the read-aloud experience was reinforced for Betty when she found herself reading Tahoe Tessie aloud to Bill on a trip home from Lake Tahoe, further affirming the universal benefit to the entire family unit.
- Betty takes numerous classes on reading dynamics and videography. She teams up with the County Department of Education in their instructional television department and begins the initial development of a television syndication or video series focused on education and reading aloud with children.
I tutored children and spent many years volunteering at Kem’s schools; I never went back to the classroom. I believe the glue to society is starting children out with a love of reading. Adults spending time being role models, teaching and spending time reading to children is invaluable. We are missing that connection due to a lack of interest and time spent.
1988-1989
- Betty forms her first non-profit: Family Literacy Foundation.
She initially works from her home because funds are not available for an office. She researches articles and books as she continues pursuing the creation of a nationally televised reading program, “Aunt Betty’s Treasures.”
Betty’s interest in the reading field was piqued by the results of a research project done through a federal grant to the Center for the Study of Reading, headed by Dr. Richard Anderson, a professor emeritus in the Department of Educational Psychology.
The results were published in “Becoming a Nation of Readers” in 1985, and they substantiated the importance of reading for children early on and reinforced the idea that reading early to children has numerous positive effects on them and their families.
“Parents play roles of inestimable importance in laying the foundation for learning to read. A parent is a child’s first tutor in unraveling the fascinating puzzle of written language. A parent is a child’s one enduring source of faith that somehow, sooner or later, he or she will become a good reader.”
Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading (1985)
After spending time researching the nuances of the cable and television market alongside developing relationships with various publishers, authors, and video producers, Family Literacy Foundation concludes that a more direct approach, educating and empowering parents regarding the importance and lifelong benefits or reading aloud with their children on a regular basis.
1990
- Family Literacy Foundation’s first program began during the Persian Gulf War using VHS technology.
To me, the mission was using literacy as the medium to communicate with children and create success in their lives. It was a huge vision, a huge passion. We realized that with the military, family separation is an issue. In those days, kids were mesmerized by television and we used technology to bring the image of parents to the home. The technology existed on all of the ships in the Navy for the program and we met with the Captains onboard several of the ships. We started with VHS tapes and we taped parents about to deploy, reading books to their kids at the USO, which was located at the end of the old convention center.
- The program, eventually known as Uniting Through Reading, was developed to videotape military parents reading aloud with their children before their ship pulls away from the pier. Initial coaching and tapings were conducted by Betty and members of the County Department of Education Instructional Television Department at the local USO facility for the USS Comstock and the USS Bristol County.
1991
- A “turn-key” concept was designed was which would allow ships to independently facilitate the Uniting Through Reading program thus giving all parents onboard an opportunity to participate in a reading session for their children while deployed. Ship personnel would be trained to facilitate the program while abroad and groups of military spouses would receive their own training sessions on use of the videos and how to involve other families in the program.
Early discussions began regarding the development of a workshop curriculum featuring the importance and benefits of the read-aloud experience in families. Several different stakeholders throughout the military community, particularly those serving in family support and home care roles, expressed interest in the implementation of a pilot program. Ultimately funding was difficult to secure, however, an initial pilot was conducted with the support of Navy Family Child Care providers in the San Diego region.
Family Literacy Foundation receives Greater San Diego Reading Association Award (GSDRA) for the Uniting Through Reading program.
Reading Enhancement Workshops began in June, teaching parents the importance of reading aloud to their children; this program is later re-named Reading Roots.
1992
The Reading Roots program becomes the foundation of all programs at Family Literacy Foundation. The program model focuses on empowering and encouraging parents and childcare providers to read aloud with children. Working with the Department of Social Services, Head Start and public subsidized housing sites to give parent workshops, its primary purpose is to encourage parents who are uneducated and in poverty and may have poor reading skills to read to their children.
An outreach program, Reading Connection, begins at public subsidized housing sites. At-risk children are read to by volunteer police officers and retired teachers.
1993
Youth Reading Role Models, an adaptation of Reading Connection, is developed and offered at two high schools in San Diego County featuring police officers as guest readers instead of weekly volunteers. Other professionals would also peak to the youth regarding careers and college after the reading sessions.
Family Literacy Foundation initiates a pilot study with the Navy, funded through the Bureau of Naval Personnel. Betty and two videographers visit the 10 ships and tape deploying sailors reading to their children; they also trained the ship’s personnel who would be facilitating the program while deployed.
Family Literacy Foundation also accepts a contract with the Navy to develop read aloud curriculum for family childcare providers.
First corporate office space is established in Solana Beach, CA.
1994-2000
Betty receives the Channel 10 Leadership Award for “Youth Reading Role Models“; and receives the National Council of Teachers of English award for the youth program.
Family Literacy Foundation receives three-year award from TRW Foundation to promote volunteerism in programs.
Youth Reading Role Models program is taken to South Africa by Molly Biehl Corbin to be implemented through the Amy Biehl Foundation.
The Navy conducts an operational evaluation of the Uniting Through Reading program. The program is then noticed by the Center for Career Development (Navy Personnel Command), where it gets partial funding to promote program participation within major deploying commands on a Navy-wide level for two years.
Family Literacy Foundation receives the California Association of Teachers of English Award of Merit.
2001
The Building Bridges with Books program is developed and offered to incarcerated mothers currently serving sentences in Las Colinas Detention Facility.
2002
Family Literacy Foundation receives an award from the Naval Officers’ Spouses’ Club of San Diego for outstanding service to the military community.
Family Literacy Foundation meets with the Marines to discuss starting the Uniting Through Reading program within the Marines branch.
2003
Youth Reading Role Models piloted at Juvenile Community and Court Schools within San Diego City School District during class time.
2004
Family Literacy Foundation is selected for a two-year competitive contract to provide for the Uniting Through Reading program from the US Navy Pacific Fleet.
15 Year Anniversary Celebration at the Hyatt Aventine (La Jolla); keynote speaker: Dr. Sally Ride – astronaut and children’s book author.
2005
Target discovers Family Literacy Foundation and expresses interest in sponsoring the Uniting Through Reading program.
16 Year Anniversary Celebration at the Hyatt Aventine (La Jolla); keynote speaker: Suzy Spafford of Suzy’s Zoo.
2006
Target renews their contract with Family Literacy Foundation for another year and introduces Family Literacy Foundation to Kellogg resulting in a collaborative cereal box promotion which would be available Target stores and commissaries via Kellogg products (in collaboration with Simon and Schuster).
Name of organization changed from Family Literacy Foundation to United Through Reading; taking the name of the flagship program.
United Through Reading receives the Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation
2007
Target renews contract with United Through Reading.
Betty indicates that she is interested in retiring from United Through Reading citing that the organization is operating successfully and in good shape to hand off.
When you’re the founder and you think something’s going really well, it’s time for you to turn it over to others. The board did a national search we found Dr. Sally Ann Zoll. We turned the leadership over to Sally and I retired, not realizing that really my work was not done.
Executive search undertaken by Board of Trustees who names Dr. Sally Ann Zoll, Ed.D as the next CEO of United Through Reading.
2008-2010
Betty spent some of her retirement time consulting with nonprofit startups to assist other leaders in pursuing the development of their own charitable organizations.
Betty has a deep appreciation for the military, however she sensed that there were still more families she could bring together through these types of programs. With United Through Reading’s desire to focus exclusively on the military, she quickly found herself returning to the ideas that started her journey nearly 20 years earlier.
I realized that there was so much that had not been done, so many needs, so much potential.
So, I started Reading Legacies and brought the programs that we had tried at United Through Reading that did not grow as quickly as our military program.
She began several discussions with various mentors and colleagues regarding adapting the United Through Reading program designs to other deserving populations. Encouraged by the response and interest in pursuing this idea, she again initiated the process to form a non-profit and so Reading Legacies was born.
The first informal Board gathering for Reading Legacies was held in 2009.
- Board moves to incorporate and apply for 501c3 status (received in 2010).
2011
Betty worked with United Through Reading staff and Board to successfully acquire various program components which had been sunset over the years, but which formed the core of the Reading Legacies program model.
Now, I am carrying this into other communities, other needs, other places, our children really may not be having this experience as much as they should. One of the big initiatives that we that we are doing at Reading Legacies is working with children of incarcerated parents. Again, addressing the difficult separation. This can be even more difficult than military separation because these families often don’t explain to the children where the parent is. It’s very confusing for children. We have found that in this program where we go inside jails and prisons and teach parents starting with the basics – you are the most important teacher and role model your child will ever have. By reading stories, even if you don’t read well, you begin that process.
2014
Reading Legacies was selected to present (along with representatives from the Sheriff’s Department, Probation Department, and Alliant International University) at the National Council on Crime and Delinquency Conference on Children, Youth, and Families held in San Diego in May 2014, drawing a regional, national and international audience.
The San Diego Diplomacy Council selected us for a site visit by 13 leaders from Europe’s International Visitors Program. They came to learn about model programs utilizing community-based resources to build community resistance to violent extremism and promote tolerance.
2016
Awarded a grant from the Tony Robbins Foundation to expand the juvenile probation program beyond San Diego; the program was initially intended for Los Angelese, but due to logistical difficulties ended up being acquired by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department in Phoenix, AZ.
2021
Featured in the New York Times (March) for the Book Bridges program.
Awarded a competitive contract with the County of San Diego to provide parent education workshops and video recordings to incarcerated parents throughout the Sheriff’s Department facilities.
2025
Joined the Live Well San Diego initiative and became a “Recognized Partner”
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Received a County Proclamation from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.