For students who are not sufficient readers by fourth grade, learning in the classroom becomes increasingly more difficult, which is why Education Connection created its literacy partnership program in 2009.

The overview

Learning to read is a lifelong benefit for young people, said Joan Mims, Education Connection’s District Director for Lake Travis ISD. The program’s mission is to have every child reading by the end of third grade, according to its website.

“Up to third grade ... you learn to read, but after third grade, you're reading to learn,” Mims said.

For the 2024-25 academic year, volunteers will read in 120 elementary schools across the greater Austin area, Mims said. All seven Lake Travis elementary schools participated last year, she said.


According to its website, Education Connection has:
  • 1,283 volunteers in the 2023-24 academic year
  • 46,425 minutes of reading per week in the 2023-24 academic year
  • Over 3,000 students reading with literacy partners
  • 16 participating school districts
Explained

The nonprofit program is made possible through volunteers who commit 30 minutes weekly to helping two students read one-on-one during 15-minute sessions each. Volunteer registration is open through mid-January before people will be put on a waiting list for next school year, Mims said.
An Education Connection volunteer works with two young students while visiting a school. (Courtesy Education Connection)
An Education Connection volunteer works with two young students while visiting a school. (Courtesy Education Connection)


After completing a background check, volunteers undergo training and select their availability to read at schools, generally between 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, Mims said. Anyone can volunteer as long as they can read and are fluent in English, according to Education Connection’s website.

“Once you get to know your students, it's easy to find things that will be of real interest to them,” Mims said. “I once read every book in two libraries on firefighters and fire stations because that's what my young person wanted to read about.”


Also of note

On Oct. 26, Education Connection will host a Walk for Literacy 5K from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Shoreline Church’s north campus in Austin. The event will have food trucks, market vendors, bounce houses and face painting, Mims said.

“All of it is to focus interest and the energy on the reading program and on how important it is for our students to be able to read,” Mims said.

Education Connection is a program of nonprofit Christ Together Greater Austin, Mims said.