Our Summer Reading Clinic Results Are In

Growing Readers All Summer Long

Every week this summer, a second grader logged on to our Summer Intensive Reading Clinic and gave it her full attention. Session by session, the sounds turned into words, and the words came a little easier. By the end of the clinic, she had moved up a full grade level in sight words and grown her letter-sound recognition by 20%.

Now in its eighth year, the clinic offers free, one-on-one online reading instruction for students in our community. Co-Director Liza Raino-Ogden built it to bring the kind of expert reading support private clinics charge thousands for directly to our families, and she trains our tutors in research-based methods focused on decoding and comprehension.

This program is made possible by the Be the Boat Fund, a donor advised fund of the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation.

This summer, seven students took part, and every one of them grew. Each student raised their reading level by at least half a grade, with some gaining as much as two full years in reading comprehension. Every student also improved their letter sounds and decoding.

Many of these students come to us through our year-round tutoring program. Their families know us, we know them, and that trust gives new relationships room to grow. Co-Director Janay Brooks saw it firsthand in one student who formed such a strong bond with his summer tutor that he now counts on her specifically for his tutoring.

What our tutors learn for the clinic extends beyond this program. Many spend the school year teaching in CPS classrooms, and the training they receive each summer goes with them, reaching young readers across Chicago.

Next summer, we hope to welcome more students and families, bring on more tutors and teachers, and add a reading specialist to the team, so more of our kids can have a summer like this one.