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Beyond Likes: Friendship, Literacy, and the Real Meaning of Giving

History In today’s world, friendships can sometimes feel defined by numbers or surface-level connections. But true friendship is found in the people who show up, time and again, in meaningful ways. This is the story of my friend Barb, how our friendship shaped Teach My Kid to Read, and what her support has meant to me. Barb and I are both from New Jersey, and we met as kids in Pennsylvania, where our families had homes across the lake. We reconnected as freshmen in college, when we moved into the same dorm. From the start, we were different: Barb was edgy and fashionable, drawn to punk rock; I was less edgy, into sports, and not very stylish. However, we always had core commonalities. We were both reliable and hard workers, and determined to be independent and successful. We had many adventures in those formative years.  One snowy Thanksgiving ride back to campus ended in a breakdown, a smoke-filled house full of cats, and no way to call for help (this was long before cell phones). I think Barb was even allergic to the cats, but that memory, less the acrid smell of smoke and a chorus of meowing, is somewhat of a haze. After college, I landed a publishing job in Boston. Not long after, Barb moved there too, working… | Read More »Beyond Likes: Friendship, Literacy, and the Real Meaning of Giving

New Partnership with Amenia and Millerton

Teach My Kid to Read is excited to announce a partnership with AmeniaFree Library, NorthEast Millerton Library, and Whole Phonics to provide Summer Reading Program decodable books in support of the ongoing efforts to teach children to read using science-aligned instruction.

First-Ever Literacy Hub

In partnership with the Buffalo Sabres Foundation and WNY Literacy Initiative, Teach My Kid to Read creates in-school literacy hubs providing everyone access to critical literacy resources.

Your Donor Impact

This year has been one of extraordinary growth for Teach My Kid to Read! Thanks to the generosity of our donors and community members, we are raising awareness of the use and value of decodable books as an equitable tool for early and struggling readers, and providing library staff with critical training, resources, and access to bring decodable books to all children. Full Impact Letter

About My Friend Joan

“Spike, right! I got it!” I yelled to my friend Joan. Joan slammed the ball over the net. I don’t remember whether we got the point. It doesn’t matter. I remember that I was the digger, and she was the spiker. That meant I had Joan’s back if she missed, and I was responsible for digging up the spikes from the opposing team and setting them up for a spiker like Joan. Joan and I met when we were five years old. She somehow found her way into our backyard on Harristown Road. Joan lived on Rock Road, two streets down, so she must have cut through a few backyards to find me. At first, I thought she was older. Joan was tall for her age, and I was small for my age. Hence, she grew into a spiker, and I grew into a digger—volleyball lingo. I introduced Joan to our collie, Jet, and I immediately showed Joan his “baked potatoes.” Nobody ever questioned my anatomical inaccuracies. Joan and I were in some classes together in elementary school. I don’t remember her getting pulled out, but she told me years later about all the time she spent with the reading and, I think, speech teacher. I remember adults explaining that she was “slow.” I don’t think I ever gave it… | Read More »About My Friend Joan