East End Elementary is excited to launch its new Rise and Read Program, made possible through a grant from United Way. This family-centered literacy initiative is designed to provide additional reading support for selected students in kindergarten through third grade while also equipping parents with practical strategies they can use at home.
Rise and Read is built around one simple idea: students grow when families and schools learn together. During each session, students attend with a parent or guardian and participate in hands-on reading activities focused on skills that are appropriate for their grade level.
For students in kindergarten through second grade, sessions will include strategies that strengthen early reading skills such as decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension. Third-grade students will participate in a family book club experience that places a stronger emphasis on reading comprehension, discussion, and understanding text.
Throughout the program, families will learn ways to ask meaningful questions, talk about what they are reading, work through unfamiliar words, build vocabulary, and use strategies that can be carried over to reading at home. The goal is not only to strengthen students’ reading skills, but also to help them become more confident and independent readers.
Students are selected for Rise and Read based on reading data that indicates they may benefit from additional targeted support. By working with students and their families together, East End hopes to create a stronger connection between classroom instruction and reading practice at home.
The first round of Rise and Read sessions begins this fall for selected students in grades K–3. However, this is only the beginning. Additional groups of students will have the opportunity to participate throughout the 2026–2027 school year, allowing the program to reach more East End families as the year progresses.
East End Elementary is grateful to United Way for providing the grant funding that makes this opportunity possible. Through programs like Rise and Read, East End continues its commitment to partnering with families and providing students with the tools they need to grow as successful readers.
Read together. Learn together. Grow together.