Overview / History

DEEP launched in 2012 with a simple but ambitious charge: improve early literacy in Southeastern San Diego by grounding every decision in research and data. When the revitalization efforts and economic development investments through the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation were hitting roadblocks because of low-literacy rates among community members, DEEP analyzed local needs, national evidence, and real-time school data to understand why so many children were entering kindergarten underprepared and why too few were reading proficiently by third grade—a key predictor of long term success. That commitment to data-informed instruction has remained a throughline in every phase of our evolution.

DEEP launched in 2012 with a simple but ambitious charge: improve early literacy in Southeastern San Diego by grounding every decision in research and data. When the revitalization efforts and economic development investments through the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation were hitting roadblocks because of low-literacy rates among community members, DEEP analyzed local needs, national evidence, and real-time school data to understand why so many children were entering kindergarten underprepared and why too few were reading proficiently by third grade—a key predictor of long term success. That commitment to data-informed instruction has remained a throughline in every phase of our evolution.

Over the years, DEEP built an ecosystem of partners — school leaders, teachers, universities, community organizations, and families — united around evidence-based instructional practices. Working within four SDUSD Lincoln Cluster schools, DEEP has worked with school leaders and staff to strengthen Tier 1 literacy instruction, expanded coaching and professional learning in partnership with California Reading and Literature Project, and provided after-school and summer programming that included small group literacy tutoring paired with high-quality enrichment.

Recently, as the landscape shifts and new data emerge, DEEP has sharpened its focus: This year has brought a deeper investment in family empowerment, recognizing that literacy grows fastest when caregivers have the tools and confidence to support learning at home. At the same time, DEEP has doubled down on preparing children for kindergarten through early literacy exposure and aligned community supports. The newest layer — including the Literacy Liberator tutoring program — builds on strong foundational instruction by reinforcing decoding, fluency, and language skills directly within classrooms.

Today, DEEP’s work reflects more than a decade of iterative learning: a research-rooted, data-responsive model that evolves with the needs of children and the insights of educators and families. What began as a place-based effort has become a blueprint for how communities can align around early literacy so every child is equipped to thrive.

Our work is rooted in our core beliefs:

1. Every family is doing the best they can with what they’ve got

2. Teachers are doing their jobs, and their jobs are nearly impossible

3. The system is not set up to provide every student with what they need. DEEP aims to be the missing piece.