In Covington, KY, a bold question was asked: What if the entire city could become a place where children learned? Not just in classrooms, but on sidewalks, playgrounds, and street corners? The City of Covington approached BLDG to help bring that idea to life. The goal: improve kindergarten readiness by creating a shared culture of early literacy that engaged children, parents, and the community at large.
We started by naming the initiative Read Ready Covington, a phrase that conveyed both purpose and positivity. The identity was built around a simple message: To be a hero, all you have to do is read together daily. Bright colors, playful typography, and energetic illustrations signaled that learning wasn’t a chore, but rather a joy, and something families could do together every day.
This wasn’t about posters or slogans.
It was about building an environment of learning. We transformed the city into an interactive classroom by creating: word scavenger hunts, sidewalk games and murals, a passport that gamified literacy through achievements and city exploration, and many others.
All content tied directly to Covington’s kindergarten readiness assessment, turning test prep into street-level play.
The effort is working. According to 2023–2024 NKY school assessments, River City districts posted the strongest gains in kindergarten readiness across the region. Covington led the way, improving 7.1 percentage points in two years. It’s proof that creativity, when grounded in strategy and community, can measurably move the needle.
