AR Kids Read

In 2012, the AR Kids Read pilot program served only eight schools in the three public school districts in Pulaski County and had fewer than 200 tutors. This school year, more than 350 tutors are serving about 1,000 children in 44 schools.

AR Kids Read was created following a literacy study conducted in central Arkansas on how to engage the community in education. Charlie Conklin, executive director, said volunteer tutors go directly into schools and spend an hour a week for 10 weeks a semester helping tutor first-, second- and third-graders in reading.

“To make an impact with these kids, you need to approach it from a relationship standpoint because these kids really get excited when they know an adult really cares about their learning and can make an impact on it,” Conklin said.

The goal is to try to get every student reading at grade level by the fourth grade. Currently, up to 70 percent of students in the third grade do not read at grade, and statistics in Arkansas indicate that 65 percent of fourth-graders not reading at grade level end up either in prison or economically disadvantaged and on social programs, Conklin said.

“Another statistic that is very compelling is a student that is reading at 50th percentile reads nine minutes a day, but a child reading at the 95 percentile reads 42 minutes a day,” Conklin said.

AR Kids Read works with a variety of organizations, community groups, businesses and churches as well as with the Arkansas National Guard to recruit tutors, Conklin said.

The program also works with the Boys & Girls Club to provide summer reading programs as well as with the school districts to provide reading programs at summer camps. “What we are doing is providing easy access for people from a community that really wants to get engaged.”

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