The story of Read to Succeed Buffalo (RTSB) began in 1998, when several nonprofit organizations, including the Community Foundation, came together to strategize how to improve educational outcomes for at-risk children. Out of that collaboration, RTSB was born in 2006. Now it is an independent nonprofit guided by the belief that all children can achieve success with exposure to high-quality, intentional instruction and literacy-rich environments from birth through third grade.
Today, RTSB works with childcare providers and schools to implement evidence-based programming and professional development literacy supports for teachers. This ensures children have access to highly trained teachers and intentional instruction, regardless of their economic status.
Additionally, children have access to one-on-one tutoring opportunities through RTSB’s AARP Foundation Experience Corps, which pairs older adults with students to help them become better readers.
“The AARP Foundation Experience Corps has been a game changer for Buffalo, particularly during the pandemic, when our volunteers continued to participate virtually, and now post-pandemic, as we work even harder to close the achievement gap,” said Anne Ryan, Executive Director, RTSB.
In the 2023–24 school year, 87 mentors provided 5,565 hours of direct tutoring to 281 students in grades 1–3. As a result, nearly 100 percent of students improved how many words per minute they could correctly read and their reading fluency. The program continues to expand and now includes 125 volunteers across 12 Buffalo public schools.
Turning to the next chapter, Anne looks forward to a book distribution program, in partnership with Erie County, that mails books to children in Buffalo and rural Erie County every month until their fifth birthday.
The Community Foundation has remained involved with RTSB every step of the way, as a thought partner, funder and advocate of its work.
“The Community Foundation started this work 20 years ago, and support directly equates to outcomes – to measurable improvements in behavior and skill development on the part of both the practitioners and the students in the classroom,” said Anne.