$50 per pay period would allow 30 additional children the opportunity to improve reading, comprehension, and literacy skills through the Early Grade Literacy Program
"Statistics show that a child who cannot read by the 3rd grade is four times less likely to graduate from high school."
3rd grade is seen as the pivotal milestone in a child’s education. Children learn to read by the 3rd grade, and then read to learn for the rest of their lives. The Early Grade Reading Program is designed to develop literacy skills, improve silent reading fluency, and increase comprehension and vocabulary skills, so that every child has the opportunity to succeed! United Way of the Inland Valleys is partnering with local agencies to bring early grade literacy programs to children throughout Western Riverside County.
If you are interested in becoming a collaborative partner on this initiative, please contact Jeanette Marlar at [email protected], or by calling (951) 697-4710.
A grant from Southern California Edison, in partnership with United Way of the Inland Valleys and collaborative agencies, allowed the first early grade literacy program to be created in Western Riverside County. This after school program provides students with access to a computer based software, designed to identify learning barriers and disabilities in children ages Pre-K to 5th grade. The program is then tailored to the unique needs of each student to help them overcome personal barriers to reading fluency. In addition, the content difficulty and duration of activities are based on the student's response rate so that they are able to proceed at a pace that corresponds to their own reading skill level.
The program is currently offered in partnership with the Community Settement Association of Riverside, and focuses its efforts on children identified to be most 'at risk'. Most of the children come from the neighborhoods of Casablanca and Eastside, where families are defined as low income; experiencing higher unemployment rates, and astounding school drop out rates. Over the course of the last 3 years, the Early Grade Reading Program has impacted more than 180 children from these areas, giving them the opportunity and motivation to succeed in school.