Literacy is the foundation of a child’s educational journey. It lays the groundwork for all future academic development, however, 69% of our nation’s fourth graders are reading below grade level. Kids of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds are struggling to read and families with resources often spend thousands of dollars to have their child’s reading difficulties addressed through private tutoring and specialized schools. But most families do not have the ability to access those options — and for their children, if they don’t learn to read at school, they may never learn at all. Using a structured literacy approach, based on the science of how kids learn to read, works for nearly ALL children. At Classmates Literacy Foundation, we work to close literacy gaps by ensuring every child has a teacher who is well trained — regardless of their zip code, background, or learning differences.