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READ Association of Saginaw County
Since 1966, the READ Association of Saginaw County has been working to improve the reading skills of children in Saginaw County and spread the joy of reading. This is done through several programs that are at schools throughout the county, at our Family Literacy Center, and at partner locations. The organization began with its READ Mentor Program, which still forms the heart of our work. In 2023, 380 elementary students were paired with volunteer mentors for dedicated, weekly reading practice. In these weekly meetings, students receive more than literacy coaching; they are also provided with a positive role model and a consistent, adult presence to check in on them. Students reading scores improved, as did their self-esteem and connection to the community.
Over the last decade, READ has developed new programming to address community needs and the needs of a post-COVID world. In 2018, Raising Readers Academy began providing support to entire families, by offering a two-tiered program that provides adults with the tools, soft skills, and everyday resources to assist the children in their life. While at each session, children also learned about community resources like the library, story themes, and character traits, and build their own self-esteem.
In 2022, READ’s Carolyn R. Otto Family Literacy Center opened to provide intensive one-on-one tutoring to students struggling with reading and spelling. According to the 2022 National Assessment on Educational Progress, 4th grade reading scores showed a significant decrease since 2019, with 42% of 4th graders testing below the NAEP Basic Level. It is the center’s hope that more one-on-one work with struggling students can help improve reading skills. The Center is also the site of weekly story times, field trips for various preschools and Saginaw ISD Early On programs, and coordinates community outreach. Through this work, the Literacy Center engaged with nearly 400 children and adults in 2023.
The work of these three programs is enhanced by community events at Saginaw’s East Side Soup Kitchen and Children’s Zoo, as well as through our Book Delivery Program which put 1,200 books in the hands of children in 2023. Through the work of a small staff, an engaged Board of Directors, and hundreds of volunteers, the READ Association of Saginaw County has been able to provide books, literacy support, and positive role models to over 1,400 people in 2023.
With this grant support, the association hopes to continue to grow their volunteer force and to retool programs to better serve those in need in Saginaw County.