KC Reads: Laying the Foundation
Every great city begins with a solid foundation.
WHEN: Thursday, April 29, 2027
WHERE: TBD
At the 2027 KC Reads Breakfast, we’re exploring literacy as essential economic and civic infrastructure. Just as Kansas City relies on sturdy roads, bridges, and buildings to grow, it relies on confident readers to build its workforce, lift its communities, and sustain its future.
KC Reads: Laying the Foundation brings together approximately 300 business, civic, education, and community leaders. This year, we’re inviting the industries that literally build Kansas City, including construction, engineering, architecture, and development, to help lay the foundation for our city’s future.
Event highlights include:
- Breakfast and networking with Kansas City leaders
- A moderated panel on literacy as economic and civic infrastructure
- Student impact stories and data from Lead to Read KC
- Recognition of the Community Partner and Reading Mentors of the Year
- Opportunities to invest in the next generation of readers
Questions? Email [email protected]
About Lead to Read KC
Did you know that just 23% of Kansas City’s third graders in public and charter schools are reading at grade level? This milestone is critical for their academic future and the future of our city. Lead to Read KC is Kansas City’s leading children’s literacy nonprofit, dedicated to transforming our community into one where all students thrive academically and personally through unparalleled access to reading resources, mentorship and support.
Transformative Reach
Each week, more than 2,000 Reading Mentors volunteer in 88 classrooms across 4 districts in the metro, making meaningful connections with students.
Targeted Tutoring
Our tutoring program provides Kansas City students with thousands of hours of individualized reading support with experienced teachers.
Equitable Book Access
We distribute more than 4,500 books each month, ensuring local children have the opportunity to build home libraries and develop a lifelong love of reading.
Community Engagement
We bring local children’s authors into schools to share books highlighting mental health and wellness, providing them with coping strategies and tools to build self esteem.
Sponsor the Event
As Lead to Read KC lays the foundation of literacy for Kansas City students, your sponsorship provides the books, mentors, and support they need to become confident readers and leaders. Thank you for building a stronger future with us.
Rhea M. LeGrande
Executive Director, Lead to Read KC
Rhea M. LeGrande leads her team and initiatives to enhance literacy and educational outcomes for children in the Kansas City area. With a robust background in educational leadership, Rhea is dedicated to making a more beautiful world for us all, one reader at a time.
Prior to her current role, Rhea served as a Senior Consultant at Education First and the Founder and CEO of LeGrande Solutions, providing strategic consulting and change management guidance to a variety of social impact organizations. Her leadership experience includes a pivotal tenure at Teach for America as Senior Chief Program Officer, where she optimized program impact, coached multi-level teams, and managed substantial budgets. She was also a founding member of the Educator Academy.
Rhea is currently pursuing a PhD in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction at Kansas State University. She also holds advanced degrees in Secondary Education and Philosophy.
Having struggled to become a reader early on, Rhea now loves reading across every genre to learn more about the world, fall in love with a new character, get lost in a new world. Outside of work, you can catch her and her husband, her high school sweetheart, cheering on their three children in all they do.