
Turn the Page KC
Turn the Page KC was founded in 2011. This non-profit organization focuses on the critical issue of reading proficiency. The organization shares that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is an accurate indicator of future academic success. However, about half of the students in Kansas City, Missouri, are struggling with this. To address this fact, Turn the Page KC strives to help students reach a comfortable reading proficiency that sets them up for maximum academic success later on.
What Turn the Page KC Is All About
Turn the Page KC was founded by Mayor Sly James in effort to increase the reading proficiency of third graders. Since then, they've been working with more than 100 other organizations to help kids learn to develop not just a love of reading but a gift for it. Reading is all about understanding, and what better tool for kids to succeed than by helping them understand the world through the written word?
As an organization, its mission is to help Kansas City kids reach grade-level reading proficiency. They pay particular attention to that pivotal third-grade year, but they work with kids of all ages. Thanks to the work of many organizations and individuals, including the people at Turn the Page KC, third graders in Kansas City are now enrolling in academic summer programs and learning more about reading and other subjects than they were before these programs came to life.

A strategic plan written out to increase reading proficiency in Kansas City focuses on school readiness, attendance, and summer learning. They conduct many studies, measuring the progress in different school districts to see the impact when helping children of a particular area master the art of reading. So far, there is a lot of data to suggest that these programs are working and making a big difference in the lives of children of all ages. They plan to continue their blueprint to achieve grade-level reading proficiency for young children. A love of reading tends to grow slowly, but once it takes hold, children keep it close to them throughout life.
Where You Can Learn More
If you'd like to learn more about how Turn the Page KC is helping Kansas City students develop reading proficiency and then mastery over time, visit their website (www.turnthepagekc.org) for more information and insight.