Nineteen years. That’s how long one of our book sorting volunteers had gone without putting any time of sign in her yard. In May, she finally took one home — ours. When we asked why, she said: “I can be neutral on most issues, but not literacy.”
She’s right. And during a time when yard signs are multiplying across the metro, it’s worth saying plainly: literacy isn’t a partisan issue. It’s the foundation of every child’s future, and it needs more people willing to stake a claim in it.
Here’s where you come in
Every week, Lead to Read KC sends thousands of volunteers into schools to sell something worth buying: reading. As we gear up for the 2026-2027 school year, we need more Reading Mentors, and we’re asking you to help us recruit.
How many more? Here’s where 2026-27 recruiting stands today. At 26 of our 33 partner schools, more than 15% of students still don’t have a Reading Mentor. At 12 of those schools, fewer than two-thirds are matched. School starts in a matter of weeks, and every gap in this chart is a child who will start the year without a mentor unless someone steps in.
- Talk to your friends and family about becoming a Reading Mentor.
- Invite your civic group, book club, faith community, or workplace to hear about the literacy crisis and what they can do about it.
- Become an outreach volunteer and represent Lead to Read KC at community events.
Start with an easy question: “Are you familiar with Lead to Read KC?” Then tell your story: why you show up, what thirty minutes with your student is actually like, what keeps you coming back week after week.
One conversation can become one new Reading Mentor. One new Reading Mentor can change a child’s trajectory.
Why now
In the Kansas City area, 23% of third graders in public and charter schools read on grade level. Third grade is the year students stop learning to read and start reading to learn, which means more than three out of four of our kids are about to spend the rest of their education working against a current.
That’s a local number, but it isn’t only a local problem. The Atlantic recently published “The End of Reading Is Here,” warning of a “post-literate” America. Headlines like that are a signal that a value we assumed was shared is quietly being taken for granted.
That’s where Reading Mentors come in. Becoming a strong reader takes both skill and will, and neither develops in a vacuum. Equipped with weekly, science of reading-aligned tips, our mentors give kids targeted practice, specific feedback, and a reason to believe in themselves. We know through both data and experience that it works.
If reading is something you value, make sure it’s something the next generation can value too. Invite someone to join you.
