January Charity of the Month

The WTOP United Way Charity of the Month for January is the Literacy Lab.

Children who read below grade level in 3rd grade are four times less likely to graduate from high school on time than their peers. This is a sobering statistic for the 81% of 4th graders in Washington, D.C. who read below grade level. The Literacy Lab is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization that addresses this literacy crisis by delivering targeted reading instruction to low-income students in order to improve their overall academic success.

The Literacy Lab uses a curriculum and approach based on the researched recommendations of the National Reading Panel that combines instruction in phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Our trained instructors work with students one-on-one or in ability-based small groups of no more than three students, providing them with the extra boost that they need to reach grade level proficiency in reading.

Students working with The Literacy Lab make, on average, 1.5 grade levels of growth in their reading levels in only 45 hours in the program. To achieve this growth, The Literacy Lab works closely with teachers, school staff, and parents to help students build a strong foundation upon which they can base success at school. For more information visit www.theliteracylab.org

The WTOP Charity of the Month is sponsored by United Way. You can give, you can advocate, you can volunteer. That’s what it means to Live United. For more information visit www.unitedwaynca.org.

WTOP charities are fed by Papa Johns. Visit them at www.papajohns.com