Years ago, Allison Luthe and others at the Martin Luther King Community Center heard from several families about the need for a place their kids to go after school.
Hearing those requests, the group set out to create just that for the neighborhood youth, who largely hail from the Butler-Tarkington area. They planned for kids to read Dr. King's speeches, write poetry and more. But when the program began, Luthe said they quickly learned many of the kids, who were in fifth grade, couldn’t read.
“We were like...What’s happening?” Luthe remembers thinking. After some digging, they found out turmoil at the neighborhood school – five principals in five years – greatly affected students’ reading levels.
Luthe and others decided to shift gears and focus their after-school program on literacy. From there, the Read to Lead program was born.
While they faced the monumental challenge of helping a cohort of kids who struggled with reading, Luthe said their mission for the program started out simple: make reading fun.
“Yes, we want to increase test scores, and yes, we want kids reading at grade level, but how can we just build this love for reading?” Luthe said. With that foundation, she said, the students’ reading comprehension would soar.
The program added one-on-one tutoring along with social and emotional learning coaches and help from Butler University students.
Now, kids are being given a “theme” for each week and learning all about it, such as reading books about the topic, learning about STEM connections and creating art projects.
“It’s really about trying to give them context and the whole picture around literacy. I think (that model) embraces the different ways the kids learn,” Luthe said.
As they continue to help kids love to read, the stakes are always top of mind.
Research shows literacy is a significant factor in the school-to-prison pipeline, as dyslexia often goes undiagnosed, and a sizable number of incarcerated people have dyslexia.
Their data further show that if a child is behind, it takes two years of tutoring for two hours a week to catch up to their grade.
But their program model has already shown that it’s doable, Luthe said.
Make reading fun and improve literacy levels for kids at the Martin Luther King Community Center, who all, for now, come from James Whitcomb Riley Elementary School.
80 kids are enrolled in the after-school program. Luthe said they have a waitlist of about 20 kids.
More space. They hope to raise enough money to get a gym and other space focused on physical wellness for the kids.
Luthe said the center could always use volunteers.
"You can donate your time. You can donate money, you can donate supplies, volunteer in the kitchen,” she said.
To learn more about how to volunteer, contact info@MLKCenterIndy.org.
