Young Readers

LNESC Programs: Young Readers

The LNESC Young Readers Program was launched as a national initiative in 1986 to improve reading skills among kindergarten through second-grade students. The program is a highly interactive and family-oriented academic year-long course designed to instill a love of reading at an early age.

Program participants include students who are struggling with reading and writing, especially those whom teachers believe can benefit from its structure and support. In addition to the increase of self-confidence, our program has been improving the communication skills, writing skills and comprehension levels of K-2nd graders across the nation for nearly 20 years. It has successfully evolved into an intervention for raising the reading levels of academically challenged children, while also drawing parents into a literacy development framework that benefits their entire family.

LNESC Programs: Young Readers

Program Design

The program is designed to serve 25 students that would benefit from extra support in literacy in grades kindergarten through second, utilizing a curriculum designed in 2007 and updated in 2012 by the Educational Development Center, a distinguished non-profit educational center in Boston. LNESC is currently in the sixth year of implementing this curriculum, which consists of two units that focus on phonics, building vocabulary and reading stamina, reading comprehension strategies, and writing strategies.

Teachers at the school refer students who are struggling with reading and writing and who they believe will benefit from the program. Twice a week, a teacher leads students through the curriculum for an hour and a half after school. In addition, students receive snacks, t- shirts, prizes, and an end of year recognition event. Parents and siblings are also encouraged to attend the program when possible. Finally, the DRA, or Diagnostic Reading Assessment, is administered three times per year (beginning, middle, end of the program) to document students’ progress.

​Program Impact

  • At the beginning of the program, 62% of students said that when they think of reading, they feel happy. Alternatively, 28% of students said when they think of reading, they feel confused.
  • At the beginning of the program, 51% of students said that when they think of writing, they feel happy. Alternatively, 34% of students said when they think of writing, they feel confused.
  • At the beginning of the program, 64% of students said that when they think of the Young Readers program, they feel happy. Alongside, 63% of students said that when they think of the teachers of Young Readers, they feel happy.

*Due to COVID-19 and virtual instruction, the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) was not administered in the 2020-2021 school year. However, we continue to monitor the program via teacher, student, and parent surveys

Locations

Cincinnati, OH

 

Student Voices

“I like young readers because it helped me to be a strong reader and I learned to understand math equations. I liked working with the teachers." - Djibril Fall, Student at Rising Star Carthage School, Cincinnati, OH

“The teachers are awesome! They are very patient with the children learning to read.”
- Parent, Roberts Academy in Cincinnati, OH

“I like young readers because it helped me to be a strong reader. I also learned to understand math equations. I liked working with the teachers."
- Jallona Anderson, Student at Rising Star Carthage School, Cincinnati, OH

“I love that this program fosters a love of reading in children So many students spend most of their time engaged in technology. The program gave them access to quality children’s literature and enjoyed being able to work with a physical copy of a book.”
  - Ms. Sand, Reading Teacher at Academy of Multilingual Immersion Studies, Cincinnati, OH

“The Young Readers Program was very beneficial to my kindergarten classroom. The students that attended this program excelled in their letters, sounds, sounding out CVC words, magic “E” words, and even their handwriting. Thank you!"
- Emily Wethington, Kindergarten Teacher at Rising Star Carthage School, Cincinnati, OH

Partner

P&G