Team READ USA has already hit the ground running in 2026!
This past weekend, we welcomed our newest group of READ USA AmeriCorps Tutor Leaders! These teens have officially become AmeriCorps members through READ USA and will begin delivering Literacy Tutoring to elementary students next week.
Thank you to Duval County Public Schools Board members Melody Bolduc and Anthony Ricardo for joining our team for the swearing-in ceremony!
Funded by an AmeriCorps grant, READ USA AmeriCorps Tutor Leaders will receive enhanced workforce development, content, and skills trainings as well as AmeriCorps member benefits.
Upon successful completion of their service with READ USA, AmeriCorps Tutor Leaders are also eligible to receive an education award to support their educational goals, in addition to other benefits. In addition to READ USA’s robust workforce development training, AmeriCorps members will receive training in citizenship, disaster preparation and response, and CPR and first aid throughout their service term.
This is all in addition to READ USA’s robust workforce development training and growth opportunities that are already embedded in our Literacy Tutoring program!
Please join us in welcoming our new AmeriCorps Tutor Leaders!
Thank You, Legacy Ministries!
Before 2025 came to a close, Team READ USA had one final opportunity to do one of our most favorite activities: put free books in the hands of students!
That’s right: we had one more READ USA Book Fair before the end of 2025!
Thanks to the financial support of Legacy Ministries Worship Center, each child at the Center went home with three free books of their choice, helping build their home libraries and inspiring the joy of reading.
Team READ USA is grateful to everyone who helped make this day so meaningful—and FUN!
Thank you to Legacy Ministries Worship Center for making this opportunity possible for so many students in the Arlington community!
#ICYMI: READ USA Receives Collaboration Grant for Literacy Tutoring
#ICYMI over the holiday break, the Florida Times-Union shared the exciting news on Dec. 26 that READ USA and Teach For America Florida Regions received a collaboration grant for Literacy Tutoring at Biltmore Elementary School!
Specifically, the $50,000 grant ($25,000 to each organization) from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida will increase the frequency of Literacy Tutoring at Biltmore Elementary, ensuring more students receive the support they need to grow their literacy skills.
“Our partnership with READ USA reflects our shared commitment to ensure every child has an excellent education,” said LaKeisha Wells-Palmer, Statewide Executive Director of Teach For America Florida. “Together, we are creating opportunities for students to overcome learning gaps and achieve their full potential.”
Dr. Rob Kelly, READ USA’s President & CEO, also shared, “Our proven results have demonstrated that an investment in READ USA is a direct investment in successful student and teen outcomes—funders can be confident that they are funding what works.”
He continued, “Partnering with Teach For America Florida to expand our collective reach will have a transformational impact on Biltmore Elementary’s students and on the broader community. Thank you to The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida for entrusting our organizations with this opportunity!”
Team READ USA is grateful to partner with Teach For America Florida Regions to uplift even more students’ lives and improve their future academic success at Biltmore Elementary!
Thank you to the Florida Times-Union and reporter Steve Patterson (who joined us at Peace in the Pages!) for sharing this wonderful news!
Children’s Book: Arthur’s Eyes by Marc Brown
#DYK: January is National Eye Care Month! To recognize the importance of proactive eye care and adopting healthy habits for your eyes—one of two sensory organs necessary for reading, alongside skin (touch)—we are featuring this wonderful children’s book.
To learn more about caring for children’s eyes, read “20 Things to Know About Children's Eyes and Vision” from the American Academy of Ophthalmology here.
Arthur’s Eyes, written and illustrated by Marc Brown, is a warm, relatable, and humorous book that addresses one of the most common childhood experiences: getting glasses. As part of the beloved Arthur series, this story speaks directly to young readers who may be feeling nervous or self-conscious about changes in their appearance.
The book follows Arthur Read, a friendly and curious aardvark, who begins having trouble seeing the board at school and even bumps into things he used to recognize easily. After a visit to the eye doctor, Arthur is told he needs glasses. At first, he feels proud and excited—until his classmates begin teasing him. Arthur suddenly finds himself wishing he looked the way he used to. But as time goes on, he discovers how much better he can see, and his friends eventually adjust to the change too. By the end, Arthur learns a valuable lesson about being true to himself and appreciating what helps him be his best. Arthur learns that his glasses aren’t something to hide; they’re a tool that helps him thrive. This message encourages students to embrace their own differences or personal needs.
Arthur’s Eyes is a thoughtful and engaging story that resonates deeply with children. Marc Brown combines gentle humor with meaningful lessons, making this book an excellent choice for reading.
Submitted by Melanie Poag, READ USA Content Assistant
Parent Education Corner: The Importance of Background Knowledge
How do we make sense of something we hear or read?
A picture or a familiar word may help us make a connection to understanding, but without a lot of background knowledge, that connection is often lost. Children experience the same thing as they are listening and reading. They add to their knowledge base or schema by connecting new information to their prior knowledge.
Strong background knowledge enables readers to make inferences and to make sense of words that have multiple meanings. Children are continually building key background knowledge while simultaneously using that new knowledge to acquire even more knowledge.
Here are a few simple but effective ways to build children’s prior knowledge through interactive and engaging learning:
Dialogic read-alouds: The best read-alouds are very interactive: You are talking about and reading the story, asking questions about the characters, and possibly wrestling with a rich, new vocabulary word. Conversation is encouraged.
Books + hands-on activities: Pair books with related hands-on activities and real-life experiences (such as trips to the museum or fire station) to help kids connect new information to existing knowledge, figure out how the world works, and understand and gain new knowledge and vocabulary.
Analogies: Analogies help children build knowledge because they compare something new to something kids already know. For example, try something like, “bird is to nest as bee is to… (hive).”
Think-alouds: Read a selected passage aloud. At certain points, stop and “think aloud” questions and answers, modeling what good readers do.
Conceptually connected text sets: A collection of texts and other materials on a topic or theme gives kids multiple ways to learn about a topic. Text sets offer a mix of genres and reading levels, and can also include magazine and newspaper articles, primary source materials (such as letters), and photographs, infographics, timelines, videos, and podcasts.
Submitted by Melanie Poag, READ USA Content Assistant