Omaha-Council Bluffs Area statistics show13,094 kids in grades 3-8 and 11 in Douglas and Sarpy counties weren’t reading on their Grade Level in the 2014-2015 school year.
Melissa Mayo, Director of Classroom Readiness for United Way of the Midlands, says United Way has committed to partnerships and initiatives to help kids achieve Grade Level Reading.
Mayo says good reading skills are critical to a child’s success in life. She says challenges can start in kindergarten.
If kids are not at the appropriate reading level in kindergarten, this can have a negative impact on their reading levels in later grades as well as their academic performance.
"What we hope to accomplish in the next 10 years or so is to make sure kids are on track by the 9th grade so that starts as early as their elementary years. And so, what we are doing is investing in programs that support students to be on track in school. So we are talking about early childhood programs, reading programs, interventions. And also programs that support parent engagement and a home learning environment.”
For more information on how you can volunteer with one of the agencies that focuses on grade level reading, the number is 402-342-8232.