Reading Matters
Reading proficiently by third grade can be life changing.
Third grade is when children make the crucial switch from learning to read, to reading to learn.
Grade-level reading skills enable children to begin mastering other important subjects, like math and science. Students who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are at great risk of falling behind and never fully catching up.
The Hard Truth
44%
of Colorado fourth graders met grade-level expectations for proficiency in English language arts.1
4x
Students who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school on time.2
1. Colorado Department of Education. 2017.
2. Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters. (2010). The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
For some children, the odds are simply stacked against them.
That is why Mile High United Way surrounds young students with a literacy-focused environment so they will soak up both the skill and the love of reading.
We train teachers, parents, and caregivers. We place tutors and volunteers into schools. We give our kids safe places in their neighborhoods to learn and grow, giving them the opportunity they deserve.
How We Create Opportunity
See all our programs
We need your help to ensure students in Metro Denver are reading proficiently in 3rd grade
Other Ways to supportGive
By giving to the Reading Matters fund today, you will help us surround our young students with the programs and resources needed to ensure they are reading at grade level in 3rd grade, so they don't fall behind.
Volunteer
Volunteering can be a fun and deeply rewarding experience where you can make immediate and lasting change by improving lives and building a stronger community.