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Learn United is a community initiative to improve the reading skills of children in Allen County. Along with our partners in education, social services and the business sector, we’re rallying support from everyone. This is a goal that requires our entire community’s collective time and effort.
At the center of this effort are three main goals:
1. All women have access to early and regular prenatal care. One in seven Allen County babies are born prematurely.* By helping prevent premature births, we reduce the need for costly special education later in life.
2. All children enter school with the literacy skills needed to learn to read. Kids with more exposure to reading prior to kindergarten have a huge advantage—all kids should have that advantage.
3. All third graders in Allen County pass their ISTEP reading test. Third grade is a pivotal year in a child's education. Passing the ISTEP reading test is a key indicator of their future success.
Everything a child learns depends on how well they can read. Up to third grade, kids are "learning to read." After third grade, they begin "reading to learn." Children who finish third grade without adequate reading skills will often struggle to learn new things. And not just language and literature are affected; their studies in math, science, history, art and music suffer too. Statistics show* that, without intervention, 74 percent will never catch up.
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We have this problem here in Allen County—each year more than 1,000 of our third graders are not passing their ISTEP reading tests.*
Statistics show* that family income levels have a huge bearing on childhood literacy levels. Children in low-income households have much lower reading skills on average. For instance, the average child from middle- and upper-income households enters kindergarten with a vocabulary of about 10,000 words; children from low-income homes enter with a vocabulary of 800 words. That is 92 percent fewer words than their counterparts! In addition, 40 percent of all low-income Allen County third graders fail their ISTEP reading exams every year.
Most parents genuinely want their kids to succeed, but they may be struggling just to make ends meet, let alone be able to buy books and read to their kids. They need help from caring community members.
The children in our community grow up to be our future teachers, doctors, scientists, politicians, business owners and employees. Regardless of who you are, you are affected by how well our children read.
Successful businesses rely on a well-educated workforce. In northeastern Indiana, we have a strong core of industries specializing in advanced manufacturing, engineering and technology. Area businesses can be attracted to our region if we have a pool of talented employees from which to hire. Further, students who graduate from our local universities will be able to find high-paying jobs in northeastern Indiana and not have to move out-of-state. In this way we can retain our region's talent and fight the so-called "brain drain." Ultimately, the quality of life in our area will benefit as more business and families prosper.
And yet, there's more to it than just the social and economic benefits. There is a degree of personal fulfillment, too. Imagine the impact you can make by helping kids learn to read. With your encouragement and influence, they'll enjoy school and learn more. In turn, they'll be better prepared to pursue higher education and a satisfying career.
Give. In low-income neighborhoods, it's estimated that there is only one book for every 300 children.* Some houses don't have a single book. Having books, especially at an early age, is essential for children to learn to read. Your donations will put books in kids' hands. Show me how I can contribute.
Advocate. Publicly support the Learn United cause by telling others about it. That includes friends, family, co-workers and others with whom you interact. Use the tools on our web site to invite your friends to learn more. Invited your friends to join you as volunteers. We can also provide you with t-shirts, stickers, posters, window clings and more. The more exposure Learn United has in the community, the more support we will gain. Show me some advocacy tools.
Volunteer. The greatest impact comes from personally helping children learn to read. There are many ways to volunteer. Be a classroom buddy and tutor kids who need extra help. Or simply read to classes or groups of kids. Children are thrilled to see a new face come into their classroom and share the gift of reading. They see that reading is cool and an important part of being a grown-up. Show me how I can volunteer.
Remember, these are children who need help with simple reading skills. All volunteers enjoy a brief orientation to help get them started. Whether you'd like to read to a class, or you'd like to tutor, we have many volunteer opportunities available.
We'll work with your schedule, too. Even if you have only a few hours to give, we can find the opportunity that works for you.
