Central Arkansas community leaders identified K-12 education as the top issue affecting the economic future of Arkansas. Between kindergarten and third grade, children learn to read; from fourth grade onward, they read to learn.
Currently, 7 out of 10 Central Arkansas fourth graders are reading below grade level.
65% of these students will drop out of high school, end up on welfare, or end up in the prison system, if no productive action is taken.
AR Kids Read is a literacy non-profit that leverages the power of volunteers to help solve this problem. The goal is to help children attain reading level proficiency by the end of third grade.
