About
The Literacy Lab is a multi-year social lab with a focus on addressing the challenges related to childhood literacy in Calgary. Facilitated by the Trico Changemakers Studio at Mount Royal University, in collaboration with Arete Initiative, the Literacy Lab brings together diverse community participants from across traditional boundaries, backgrounds and sectors who bring different perspectives and lived experience to the issue. Together, the Lab has been diving into the patterns, structures and mindsets that are keeping the challenge entrenched in order to uncover root causes, identify systemic interventions and design and test new ideas for addressing this issue. The Lab integrates the work and expertise of MRU faculty and engage students in the process throughout.
Challenges + context
The childhood literacy challenge is complex… and urgent. One in five Albertans have faced literacy challenges since childhood. Almost half of working-age Albertans do not have the literacy skills required to perform most jobs in today’s economy. In the past 20 years, the overall literacy rate amongst students in Alberta has dropped and the percentage of children who are functionally illiterate has almost doubled. More than 1 million children in Canada have below grade reading skills, and 25% of Grade 3 children are not reading at grade level. The transition from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’ occurs between the ages of 6 and 9. If a child lacks proficiency in reading by the end of Grade 3, they will encounter significant obstacles for the rest of their educational journey. Seventy-five percent of children who do not overcome early literacy challenges, struggle throughout their lives.
Although this challenge is complex and will be difficult to address, it is imperative that leaders put more attention towards it and that a mindset of innovation and collaboration allows them to work together to come up with new ideas and work together in new ways. This is the calling of the Literacy Lab.
The Guiding Question
How might we collectively ensure all children in Calgary are reading by the end of Grade 3?
Who's involved
The Lab Team
7 members from the Institute.
The Lab Counsel
11 members from 10 organizational partners.
The Solutions Team
15 members
Where we are
Through multiple community workshops hosted in 2024, the Literacy Lab began mapping all the factors contributing to children not reading by the end of Grade 3. From this challenge map, deeply entrenched and recurring patterns were identified. To better understand these patterns, child-centered personas and narratives were created to illustrate lived experiences.
In 2025, we identified key leverage points – areas in the system where targeted action could shift entrenched patterns and improve children’s literacy outcomes. Three Solution Teams were then formed to design and test prototypes addressing those points.
Each Solution Team focused on one guiding question:
1. Navigating Power and Inclusion Challenges for Newcomers to Canada
How might we increase cultural responsiveness in reading instruction for newcomer children?
2. The Overlooked Early Years
How might we support families experiencing difficult trade-offs to increase exposure to reading to pre-kindergarten children?
3. The Isolation of an Indigenous Child
How might we increase awareness around childhood literacy and foster a shared love of literacy and learning within Indigenous families?
Since Summer 2025, the Solution Teams have been prototyping to explore ideas, test assumptions, and refine concepts, with the goal of understanding their potential impact on the literacy landscape.
The Literacy Lab Showcase is a wrap-up event to celebrate the work, the learning, and especially the people who brought the Lab to life.
At this showcase, you’ll learn about the journey, insights, prototypes, and what's next from the Solution Teams and see the collaborative efforts behind the work. It's a great opportunity to connect with others who care deeply about literacy and community-driven change.
Learning & insights
Community partners
The Literacy Lab is generously funded by an anonymous donor through the Calgary Foundation.
Stay tuned for project updates and ways to engage.