Letter from the President: Caleb Is in Second Grade — But He Can’t Read Yet
Dear Sabrina,
Let me introduce you to a young boy I’ll call Caleb.
I sat beside him this week at an inner-city after-school program and pointed to a simple 3-letter word.
“Can you read this word?” I tried to have him sound out the letters in the word.
Caleb looked at it quietly… and shook his head.
He is in the second grade, and he does not yet know his letters or their sounds.
That means every page is a struggle. Every subject is harder. And unless something changes, he will fall further behind with each passing year.
Caleb is not alone.
In his school, fewer than 35% of students are reading at grade level. Most are being moved forward without the skills they need to succeed.
When a child cannot read, doors begin to close early.
At Freedom in Education, we are working to change that by placing rich, meaningful books into children’s hands and supporting instruction that builds real literacy.
Because when a child finally reads a word on his own, everything begins to change.
That moment is within reach for children like Caleb, but it will not happen by accident.
Will you help put the right books and instruction into the hands of students who need them most?
Your gift today will help bring real literacy and real opportunity to children who are being left behind.
Because somewhere tonight, there is another second grader like Caleb. And his future may depend on what we do now.
