That’s right—for the third year in a row, READ USA has been named a Top Workplace among Small Companies in Jacksonville!
Team READ USA also received a Special Award at last week’s event: We received the Direction Award, indicating that our team members, “…believe our organization is going in the right direction.”
“Every day, our team members commit themselves to our work and show up with passion, drive, and conviction that our work is ensuring that students and teens succeed in life,” shared our President & CEO Dr. Rob Kelly. “Our Board of Directors and I are incredibly thankful for our team members’ dedication and are so proud of how they deliver upon our mission and represent READ USA with excellence.”
Based solely on employee feedback, the Top Workplaces are awarded by Energage, which analyzes the results of employee survey responses addressing factors such as leadership, meaningfulness, appreciation, pay, benefits, and more. Energage has partnered with The Florida Times-Union for the past four years for the Top Workplace Awards.
Our team members attended the Top Workplaces reception, hosted by The Florida Times-Union and Energage, at the River Club last week.
READ USA ranked No. 8 of the 16 local “Small Companies” (those with 35-149 employees) in Northeast Florida that were honored. Out of the companies and organizations of all sizes that were honored, several of our local nonprofit partners also made the list, including Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida and ECS4Kids (Episcopal Children’s Services)!
Congratulations to our partners and to all the companies honored last week! You can check out the full list of local Top Workplaces here.
Thank you to Energage and The Florida Times-Union for continuing their partnership and extending this opportunity to so many deserving organizations across Northeast Florida, and for shining such a wonderful spotlight on READ USA and our team!
Our gratitude also goes to our READ USA donors, supporters, and partners, all of whom make it possible for READ USA to do the work that we do and receive a Top Workplace award!
Congratulations to Team READ USA!
Partnerships Move “…our Community and Country Forward.”
Last week, our President & CEO Dr. Rob Kelly presented to the Dean’s Advisory Council of the University of North Florida’s (UNF) Silverfield College of Education and Human Services, sharing an update on READ USA’s impact on literacy in the community.
The Dean’s Advisory Council—of which Dr. Kelly is also a member—is comprised of business and community leaders whose role is to help advance the programs within the Silverfield College. Members include representatives from a variety of for- and non-profit organizations and Duval County Public Schools.
Dr. Kelly also shared an update on READ USA’s partnerships in the community, including our partnership with UNF’s Silverfield College. In 2024, READ USA Literacy Tutoring became an approved program in the Osprey Teacher Residency Program, where future teachers can earn practicum hours by serving as READ USA tutors. The partnership helps build a stronger teacher pipeline, as some of our teen tutors pursue careers as educators, and provide scholarships to deserving students.
“Our partnership with READ USA is a true win-win relationship,” shared Dr. Stephen Dittmore, Dean of the Silverfield College of Education and Human Services. “Silverfield College students receive impactful tutoring and mentoring experience working with elementary students in Duval County while helping demonstrate the importance of learning to read at an early age. We are proud to support READ USA.”
Dr. Kelly also shared READ USA’s newest partnership with YMCA Tiger Academy (#ICYMI, you can read more about that here!).
Lauren Gibbs, Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council, who is also the Executive Director of YMCA Tiger Academy, contributed to that part of the presentation as well, sharing her gratitude for the partnership and how READ USA is already well embedded in YMCA Tiger Academy:
“READ USA Literacy Tutoring got up and running so quickly and efficiently—the team really hasn’t missed a beat! Not only are the literacy skills our students are building vital to their success, but the relationship being built between the high school students and our students is having a positive mentorship effect as well. Even students that sometimes struggle with behavior are excited to come to tutoring, and they are engaged the entire time they are with their tutors. We are thrilled for this partnership!”
“Partnering together is how we accomplish our own organizational goals and our community’s goals collectively,” reflected Dr. Kelly. “By working together, we can reach even more students, teens, and aspiring teachers—and ensure that each of them is fully prepared for their next steps in life—which ultimately moves our community and our country forward more prosperously.”
Thank you to the UNF Dean’s Advisory Council members for their passion for supporting students and teens, and for the opportunity for Dr. Kelly to present!
Team READ USA Visits Classrooms Across Duval
Last week, thousands—if not millions!—of people across the globe participated in “the world’s largest shared reading experience,” and READ USA was thankful to be a part of it!
Every year, Read for the Record, created by Jumpstart, unites people across the globe by reading the same book on the same day to raise awareness for early literacy. This year, teachers and volunteers read the popular children’s book, See Marcus Grow, by Marcus Bridgewater (which you can read more about here).
Team READ USA staff members and volunteers spread out across Duval County to read See Marcus Grow in multiple classrooms at 15 elementary schools. The book sparked fun conversations with students about family, growth, and of course, gardening! (If you’ve ever read a book aloud to a child before, you know how they love to talk about it afterwards—and sometimes during, too!)
Thank you to the principals, teachers, and students who welcomed our team members and volunteers so warmly into their classrooms!
Thank you, River City Science Academy!
Team READ USA joined universities and employers of all types and sizes last week during River City Science Academy’s Career Fair, and we were thankful for the opportunity to participate and spread the word about READ USA Literacy Tutoring!
More than 600 ninth- through 12th-graders visited 30+ vendors who shared info about different types of careers available in their futures. Students also had the opportunity to meet representatives from multiple universities and career institutes and learn about admissions, programs, and majors, including universities based in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tallahassee, and elsewhere.
Teens who visited READ USA learned about the role that our tutors and AmeriCorps Tutor Leaders play in helping elementary students achieve grade-level reading proficiency, and the skills that teens build during their time with READ USA. Needless to say, we have a number of teens interested in joining Team READ USA as tutors in the future!
The event also encouraged in-depth conversations with students and employers. Teens received a bingo sheet with questions they had to ask the participating organizations, ensuring that teens maximized the experience and exposure among so many potential future employers.
Thank you to River City Science Academy for the invitation to participate!
Meet Our Teachers at Lake Lucina Elementary
This week, we are thrilled to shine the spotlight on our wonderful teachers at Lake Lucina Elementary School in Arlington!
Teachers play a vital role in READ USA programming and impact, supervising and providing in-the-moment support to our teen tutors and AmeriCorps Tutor Leaders as they deliver one-to-one Literacy Tutoring to elementary students. Their coaching and guidance ensure our tutors are effective and supported, while making sure that programming is delivered with fidelity, data and reporting are accurate, and that everything runs smoothly and efficiently! Here’s a bit more about the important roles our teachers play:
Teachers of Content are responsible for all literacy content needs of READ USA Literacy Tutoring, ensuring seamless delivery of literacy content needs at each school site. Specifically, Teachers of Content coach and annotate tutor next steps and observations, model lesson parts, and provide tutor professional development. Importantly, they also audit and monitor student literacy growth and oversee student assessments, among other responsibilities.
Teachers of Organization oversee all operational needs of READ USA Literacy Tutoring. This essential role ensures smooth and efficient program delivery, from managing communications with schools, parents, and READ USA staff to collecting and entering weekly student data. Teachers of Organization also handle student discipline, transportation support, and provide oversight of the READ USA aftercare program.
Aftercare Teachers monitor and provide guidance to elementary students awaiting their Literacy Tutoring sessions each day. They are also responsible for student attendance, supper, and snack tracking, and deliver supplemental literacy programming, such as read-alouds and other literacy-focused activities.
Meet our Teachers at Lake Lucina and hear why they love the work they do at READ USA—and you can show them some love on social media here!
THANK YOU to our incredible team at Lake Lucina!
Children’s Book: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Maria Merian
Everyone knows that butterflies come from caterpillars, right? 
Not in the 17th century, they didn’t! How would they have known? Caterpillars are small and their metamorphosis took place in hidden places. These “worms were considered pests, and no one connected them to beautiful butterflies.” Only a very sharp-eyed and persistent person would be able to uncover such an extraordinary process and only a person with artistic skill could document it in living color.
That person was Maria Sibylla Merian: An artist at a time when women weren’t allowed to be; a scientist before there were scientists; and an adventurer who journeyed far and wide in search of the truth of metamorphosis.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month in March, The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian’s Art Changed Science is a wonderful nonfiction biography illustrated throughout with full-color original paintings by Merian herself. In this book, author Joyce Sidman paints her own picture of one of the first female entomologists and a woman who flouted convention in the pursuit of knowledge and her passion for insects.
Parent Education Corner: Extending Engagement with a Text
After a shared reading moment between you and your child, the opportunity to expand on their understanding and connection with a text is just beginning.
Here are some ideas on how to extend your child’s engagement with a book or text:
Dramatic play: Assign character parts from the book and have your child act out the story with you. Pay attention to what your child comprehends about the actions, emotions, and conversations of the character they are portraying.
Movement: Does the book show emotion? Ask your child to find the parts where the character feels mad, sad, happy, excited. Ask them to move like the character would. What would their face look like? How would their body move?
Art: Ask your child to draw, color, paint, collage, build with playdoh or clay, a scene from the story. What details did they add? Can they add more after discussion? I use the rule: 5 details, 5 colors, 5 labels, 5 words. This is a good start to get your child thinking about the details they noticed. It might even encourage the need to peek back at the text for ideas.
Interactive Writing and Drawing: Based on the topic(s) of the book, help your child create a list of feelings, character features, or setting details within the text. When the list is finished, ask them to choose a few and draw what they listed.
There are many ways to creatively express comprehension and important characteristics of a book. Set some time aside with your child for engagement with a text or two this week.
Submitted by Kathi Hart READ USA Lead Content Specialist