Lead to Read KC
Led by Executive Director Pauly Hart, Lead to Read KC’s mission is to support the social, emotional, and reading skills that are foundational for student success by advancing their literacy platform and mobilizing community volunteers.
Lead to Read KC uses four key programs to address the current educational crisis:
First, through their Reading and Mentoring Program, they connect more than 1,300 trusted, caring adult volunteers (called Reading Mentors) with students in first through third grade, providing students with 30 minutes of one-to-one reading and mentoring support each week.
Second, they partner with HOOT Reading to provide personalized tutoring to students using experienced, certified teachers three times per week. This is a turnkey service available to their partner schools designed to lighten the workload of classroom teachers and ensure students improve their reading skills.
Third, they have established Reading for Life, an author-visits program to support students' social-emotional learning. Local authors lead interactive read-aloud based on their books’ mental health and wellness messages, and the students receive a free copy of the book.
Lastly is the Reading is Everywhere(SM) book distribution initiative, which utilizes 45 community partners – including laundromats, social service agencies, hair salons, barber shops, restaurants, and retailers — to make free books available to children outside of schools and libraries.
Why do they do this? It’s simple. Reading is the foundation for all other learning. Unfortunately, 80 percent of third graders attending Kansas City Public Schools and Charter schools are reading below grade level, making them four times more likely to drop out of high school and become some of society’s lowest wage earners. Poor reading skills impact their futures and our city’s future workforce.
Lead to Read KC wants to help Kansas City children build a brighter future, and they are calling on everyone to join them to make KC the city that solves the literacy crisis.
Please visit the Lead to Read KC website to learn more, volunteer, or donate.
Website: www.LeadToReadKC.org