At the start of the 2021 school year, in-person learning was something many young students had never encountered, and something slightly older students hadn't done in many months. The adjustment to a new educational environment created challenges in the classroom. Students were more hesitant to participate in school discussions, had a harder time communicating with peers and delays in reading skills needed to be addressed. The Georgia Family Connection Partnership recognized these struggles as opportunities to integrate new curriculum and provide individualized care to get students back on track.

Lupita knows the impact R2L has had on not only her son’s life, but her own. She gives the program credit for helping her family learn things she did not think were possible.

“Readers 2 Leaders is made for children like Aaron,” Lupita said. “His first language was not English, and his parents do not speak English, either.” Lupita continues, “although I had studied English, I had never been able to divide a word into syllables, and I did not know everything that they are teaching me right now.”

Access to new books is a critical component of literacy education. Children need new materials regularly to help them build new skills and create reading progress. But rereading books plays a similarly important role in the development of reading fluency. Without guided support, students may not know what to do when they read new materials or revisit their favorite titles. Reading Allies recognized this and created a reading program that emphasizes both practices.