Since 1999, Reading Partners has been mobilizing communities to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade.
Our history
Since 1999, Reading Partners has been mobilizing communities to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade.
1999
1999
Three community leaders, Mary Wright Shaw, Molly McCrory, and Jean Bacigalupi, launched a one-on-one tutoring program to help children who had fallen behind in reading at Belle Haven Community School in Menlo Park, CA.
2001
2001
Our three founders recruited a dedicated group of volunteers to tutor students at a local elementary school—these volunteers quickly recognized the powerful effect of one-on-one attention and in 2001 YES Reading was incorporated as a 501(c)(3).
2004
2004
YES Reading hires the first full-time executive director and expands to second school site at Selby Lane Elementary in Redwood City.
2007
2007
The program expands to serve schools in the Oakland/East Bay area.
2008
2008
YES Reading expands to serve San Francisco schools and is renamed Reading Partners. Reading Partners expands to Los Angeles, CA.
2010
2010
Reading Partners is awarded first AmeriCorps grant and expands to Washington, DC, our first expansion outside of CA.
2011
2011
Reading Partners expands to New York City and is selected as Social Innovation Fund recipient.
2012
2012
Reading Partners expands to Baltimore, MD;Dallas, TX; and to Denver, CO.
2013
2013
Reading Partners expands to Tulsa, OK and Charleston, SC.
2014
2014
MDRC randomized control trial proves Reading Partners is an effective intervention.
We expand to serve students in Seattle, WA.
2015
2015
Reading Partners expands to serve students in Twin Cities, MN andCharlotte, NC.
2017
2017
APA, a leading national education research firm, found that students served by Reading Partners (particularly English Language Learners) showed significantly greater improvement in their literacy skills than comparison students not served by the program.
Reading Partners is recognized as a best practice honoree by the Library of Congress.
2018
2018
Reading Partners adopts a new strategic plan.
2019
2019
Reading Partners celebrates 20 years of impact and introduces a new logo.
2020
2020
Reading Partners quickly adapts to the widespread disrupted learning caused by COVID-19, successfully developing and implementing an innovative online tutoring platform called Reading Partners Connects.
2022
2022
Reading Partners surpasses 2.5 million tutoring sessions delivered to students.
Our mission and vision
Our mission
Our mission is to help children become lifelong readers by empowering communities to provide individualized instruction with measurable results.
Our vision
We envision a future where all children in the US have the reading skills necessary to reach their full potential.
Our strategic plan
Over the next several years, we will transform who we are as an organization to exponentially increase educational access and early literacy support for students who need it most. Learn more about our strategic plan here.
Our values
1. Reading matters
We fundamentally believe that the ability to read transforms lives and changes outcomes for children and communities. We want every child to experience the joy and power of becoming a lifelong reader, and we are focused on this mission.
2. Big challenges are our thing
We seize opportunities to make a positive impact, and are relentless in the pursuit of our mission and goals. We take ownership, act with urgency, aren’t afraid to do the hard work, and give 100 percent every day.
3. Volunteers get results
We know that service and volunteerism work. We mobilize and intentionally nurture a community of AmeriCorps members, volunteers, and partners to make a difference.
4. Together we are better
We believe that everyone has a part to play in working to close the opportunity gap, and that collaborative efforts create unlimited potential for students and communities. We maximize impact through collective leadership and build meaningful partnerships to advance our shared vision and strategy.
5. Data drive decisions
We use research and evidence to develop our programs and initiatives, and to ensure exceptional results. We enthusiastically and continuously question what we know and how we do things to generate knowledge of what works best.
6. Laughter keeps us going
We encourage, appreciate, and celebrate each other with exuberance and a sense of humor. We embrace joy, eccentricity, and a healthy dose of laughter in our daily work.
Our impact since 1999
85,000+
community volunteers mobilized
Our Cover to Cover book series
Read story
~3 million
individualized literacy tutoring sessions delivered
View our impact since 1999
Adeola Whitney: CEO, leader, volunteer tutor
Read story
80,000+
elementary school students reached
