Good for Chicago: Reading in Motion

One thing we don’t love about Chicago is its literacy problem. Our city has one of the lowest adult literacy rates in the country. Thankfully, Reading in Motion works hard to reverse this trend by helping our youngest students learn to read in somevery cool ways. That’s why we’ve included it in our Thanks to You program.

For four years now, we’ve been running our Thanks to You program, where our residential clients can direct a portion of our fees to a charity on our curated list. This post is one of a series to tell our readers a little more about these charities and why we chose them.

Our firm believes reading is the key to knowledge, success and a rich imagination. Research says if a student is NOT reading at grade level by the end of 1st grade, they face a high risk of not even graduating from high school…which can open the door to unemployment, poverty, getting in trouble with the law, and substance abuse. All the bad stuff.
While there are many worthy literacy groups, we chose Reading in Motionfor the way they build confidence and teach children to read, and inspire them to be creative and imaginative. Here are a few ways RIM helps at-risk kids learn to love reading:

Focus on youngsters The program targets pre-kindergarteners, kindergarteners and first-graders, in English and Spanish. Innovative curriculum They’ve developed an engaging, art-based curriculum that combines music and drama to inspire students to learn.  Peer-to-peer coaching RIM coaches partner with teachers to determine the best way to improve students’ skills. History of high-fives They’ve been around for 34 years or so, and year after year, they achieve a significantly better outcome than CPS alone.
What’s more, they know kids learn in different ways. By teaching literacy through arts and conducting measurable tests, RIM makes sure the program works for each and every kid. 
We’re proud to include RIM in our Thanks to You program. Check out our list of charities, and please, consider supporting any of them in their good work.