A local nonprofit is rewarded for its work on literacy.
Reading Assist is one of 15 organizations from around the world rewarded with the 2025 Library of Congress Literacy Award.
The award honors initiatives that provide exemplary, innovative and replicable strategies that promote literacy.
"So they were really looking at the impact we're having implementing evidence base practices to promote literacy, particularly when struggling readers in kindergarten through third grade. So they recognized the commitment to the evidence based practices both with high quality, high impact degree and using a structured literacy time to bring a wide curriculum to bring increased literacy to students who are struggling," said Caroline O’Neal, Reading Assist’s CEO.
O’Neal notes Reading Assist was honored to be recognized for the impact and results their fellows and students are achieving every year.
All of the organizations including Reading Assist received $10,000 as part of the award.
Reading Assist also measures its success by how many of its students are learning to read, and O’Neal says they regularly check on the progress their students are making.
"We look at our students every single week to see what kind of progress they're making to make sure that we're providing them a really personalized and customized learning program so that they can thrive, and it's incredible,” said O’Neal. “90% of our students’ reach benchmarks and foundational reading skills in just one year."
O’Neal notes with AmeriCorps funding restored after temporarily being dropped means Reading Assist is back on track and well-funded through next year, but she’s cautious about the future because of federal government uncertainty.
