Our Impact

Newsflash! Read all about it here! Kids have the chance to close their reading gaps with the help from YOU!

Thanks to your donations and partnership, we were able to reach many children in need and the educators who serve them. READ USA has distributed more than 250,000 books to students in high need Title 1 schools and community centers in the highest poverty neighborhoods of Duval County, Florida as well as provided new books for classroom libraries. Our goal is to help move the needle on grade-level reading proficiency by opening pathways for all children from under-resourced communities with book choice and ownership.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE

2011-2022 Impact
Book Choice and Ownership

678,500+
Books
216,500+
Children

Literacy Tutoring

2,143+
Children
883+
Teen Tutors
189+
Teachers
READ Future Leaders Academy and Preschool 12.20.22_2
READ Future Leaders Academy and Preschool 12.20.22

Hello, 2021 and Happy New Year to all our READ friends!! It’s a new year and a new opportunity to set kids up for success! We’re not talking about rocket science. And, it’s doable, now. Imagine a child fishing without having a fishing pole to learn to catch the fish or a child playing soccer without having a soccer ball to practice, or a child learning to play the violin without a violin to practice. How can a child practice reading without access to books that they want to read and understand?This lack of book access increases the achievement gap not only during a pandemic but during the summers and wherever access is limited, as in under-resourced communities. Students slide backward when they are not able to keep practicing the skills they learn in the classroom. With grade-level reading proficiency named as a strategic priority goal in our school district, our city, our state, and our country, all oars are rowing in the same direction to move the needle on this solvable goal! It’s an important moment to seize for the benefit of us all. Will you join us? Your investment in this strategic goal will not only positively impact most all of the social ills in our community and our country, but with it, comes a promise of immediate gratification in the smiles of children from under-resourced communities as they choose new books to own and build their home libraries – a game changer!!An alarming number of children – about 67% in Florida and nationwide are not proficient readers by the end of 3rd grade. This number jumps to a staggering 80% of students in under-resourced communities not being proficient readers by the end of 3rd grade. We can do better! Left unchecked, this problem will undermine efforts to end intergenerational poverty, to close the achievement gap, and reduce high school dropouts. We have the opportunity to prepare the next generation to succeed in a global economy, participate in higher education, or enter military or civilian service. Books that ignite a child’s passion is the key. That means book choice and book ownership in a literacy-oriented culture. Please consider a $10,000 donation to sponsor an entire school, a monthly donation, or a one-time donation. Every child deserves the chance to succeed and reach their full potential. to you, in 2020 during the pandemic, more than 40,000 students in under-resourced communities pre-k -6 in Duval county were able to select more than 160,000 brand new books to own and begin building their home libraries. Now, in 2021, we are serving more than 51,000 students in all elementary schools in the DCPS District as well as many VPK sites, ELC sites, and organizations serving families in under resourced communities. And, we’re expanding our evidence based Peer to Peer 1:1 Intensive Literacy Tutoring and Urban Workforce Development Program this year, too, serving 3 school sites this summer with plans for major expansion in the 2021-2022 school year. This is a game changer for closing the literacy gaps for younger students while developing high school students to positively impact education outcomes currently and in their future careers. Our best investment is in kids!!With gratitude on behalf of the entire Team READ, Ellen A. Wiss Board Chair/Co-Founder
In response to COVID-19, READ USA has increased support for Title 1 elementary school students in Duval County! In the week of 3/30/2020 we provided 38,000 new books and parent engagement instructional materials to every Title 1 Elementary school student, including Head Start and ESE students. These books were transported safely by school bus, to be delivered along with meals. READ USA Responded! As Delores Barr Weaver wrote in her March 13, 2020 letter of support, READ USA, Inc. is “an organization committed to a literate community, specifically by providing quality book access, book selection and ownership to young, eager learners that are economically disadvantaged.” She quoted in her letter: “The only behavior measure that correlates significantly with reading scores is the number of books in the home.” – The Literary Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions. We are now coordinating with Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene and her team to engage teachers with their students in a virtual FREE Scholastic Book Fair that fills the dire need for students to have books in their home! After students choose their books, they will receive a package in the mail with their new books and a parent engagement packet to each of their homes. Can you visualize the smiles of excitement when their packages arrive? Now, more than ever, your support is critical. For most of our children, physically touching a book will not happen until physical school resumes ... unless READ USA and YOU make it happen! In addition to the physical well-being provided by food and shelter, children need the physical brain-food represented by books. Imagine – a library of books they can share with their family at a time when families are more likely to read together than ever before. Please consider sponsoring students for $15 each or an entire school (see the list below). If all are adopted, that’s 42,000+ students with the choice of brand new books for ownership and almost 150,000 books infused in the homes of Title 1 students at a time when it matters most! Your help is making a difference in the lives of children and their families for a culture of literacy and lifelong learning. READERS ARE LEADERS!
We needed $160,910 in 2019 to serve every Title 1 elementary school in Duval County that feeds into Ribault, Raines, and Jackson High Schools as well as those Title 1 schools and community centers we have served in 2018. That's 16,091 students to be served this year, more than doubling our impact over last year! AND WE DID IT! All thanks to you!