Children’s Literacy Center receives Kum & Go Community Grant

 

July 30, 2018

 

Colorado Springs, CO- Children’s Literacy Center is the proud recipient of a $4,000 Community Grant from Kum & Go, the grant will allow CLC to continuing to offer FREE one-to-one tutoring to children reading below grade level in Colorado.

 

CLC began as a Junior League project in 1991 and has since evolved into a statewide effort to “build a life of success for children through a foundation of literacy.” CLC provides one-to-one tutoring and curriculum materials for students not reading at grade to youth and their families. Additionally, CLC recruits and trains nearly 600 volunteers each year. Beginning with one location and sixty-two children in 1993, volunteers continue to tutor using the Peak Reader curriculum at more than 15 community sites in Colorado.

 

The extent to which a child can read and write proficiently by the end of third grade will set the pace for his/her future academic achievement and success. Low literacy rates directly correlate to poverty, a lower quality of life, and fewer employment opportunities. The 2017 State of Literacy in Colorado Report from Stand for Children Colorado states that low literacy rates cost the country at least $225 billion each year due to non-productivity, crime, and lost revenue. Students of color and those eligible for free-and-reduced cost lunch perform at a lower level than their peers. Although any child who cannot read is at-risk, CLC targets underperforming communities where the need for no cost, after school tutoring is greatest. Current participants in CLC programs represent a 74 percent minority profile and an 86 percent low-income status. 

 

Of the 16,600 children served by the Children’s Literacy Center, 96 percent improved in word lists and 94 percent improved in word recognition in paragraphs. The Children’s Literacy Center recognizes that early access to books; reading self-confidence and parental support are key components in cultivating a life of success for children in Colorado.

 

For nearly 60 years, Kum & Go has been dedicated to the communities it serves, sharing 10 percent of its profits with charitable causes. For four generations the family-owned convenience store chain has focused on providing exceptional service and delivering more than customers expect. Established in Hampton, Iowa, in 1959, the chain has since grown to employ more than 5,000 associates in more than 400 stores in 11 states (Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming). Please visit www.kumandgo.com to locate the nearest store.

 

For program information or to volunteer please visit: www.childrensliteracycenter.org

 

Contact

 

Gina Solazzi

Executive Director

2928 Straus Lane

Colorado Springs, CO 80907

719.471.8672

gina@childrensliteracycenter.org