Frequently
Asked Questions

Our Literacy Mentoring is offered on a sliding scale ranging from $5–$65 per session. Programming offered at school and community partners is free and covered by grants.

Our office is at 1718 W. Jefferson St, Louisville, KY 40203, and we have a satellite office in Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in the Shawnee neighborhood.

A Diagnostic Decoding Survey allows us to determine whether students struggle with decoding and, when they do, to pinpoint specific decoding weaknesses — the first step toward successful intervention. Both tools are research- and evidence-based, proven to improve reading fluency and text comprehension.

Yes! We have Board of Directors, Committee (Events, Fundraising, etc.), administrative, and community event volunteer opportunities available. All of our Literacy Mentors are trained, paid staff, so we do not accept volunteer mentors. Let us know your interest here.

You can enroll here.

We use a combination of Orton-Gillingham and Wilson-influenced systems. Both provide a structured language approach to teaching reading that is multi-sensory, direct, explicit, structured, and sequential.

We meet each child where they are, determine what decoding skills they need, and build a strong foundation for decoding. Most students make significant gains once they have the skills and confidence to decode, but every child has a unique starting point and learning pace.

Students stay in our program for as long as they need to gain the foundational decoding skills necessary.

Email us at [email address] for more information on how to partner with your school or organization.

You can make a single gift here. Our programs are accessible thanks to our sliding fee scale — most participants pay very little or nothing at all — and our waitlist is long. Our goal is to match every student who struggles to read with a Literacy Mentor ready to help.

Monthly sustainers provide a steady source of income — unlike grants or one-time gifts — that lets us plan ahead. When you give monthly, we spend less time chasing dollars and more time teaching kids to read. Sign up to become a monthly sustainer today.

Our Literacy Mentors are paid staff, predominantly college students of color from local universities. They’re trained not only in structured literacy, but also receive anti-racist and anti-bias training, healing-centered care and resiliency-building techniques, and child abuse prevention, awareness, and reporting requirements. By recruiting future educators and community leaders as Literacy Mentors, we’re building a more equitable future in education.

You can apply to become a Literacy Mentor here.