Kids Read Now is a non-profit organization that delivers in-home book reading programs that get PK-5 students reading more frequently and consistently.
We get that you’re doing everything you can to accelerate reading gains.
Every teacher knows, in their bones and from countless studies, that reading underpins every aspect of educational success.
But you’re missing one piece. A piece that’s extremely difficult to do – get kids reading more while at home.
While this objective isn’t new, how we have accomplished it is.
It was the 1960s when Ellen Lurie brought a young Leib, future co-founder of Kids Read Now, with her as she testified before Congress about the need for pre-school programs in low-income communities.
Ellen had already started an innovative community pre-school program in Harlem, that later went nationwide under the name ‘Head Start’.
At a young age, Leib had become acutely conscious that access to education was not equal from community to community.
This awareness continues to underpin his mission, and our company mission – to reduce the widening achievement gap between rich and poor.
It was ten years ago when fourth-grade teacher Barb Lurie, and her husband Leib Lurie, a tech innovator, felt compelled to tackle the most challenging contributor to the reading gap – eliminating the summer reading slide amongst at-risk students.
This was a hefty goal, and something no school or district, teacher, or administrator has been able to stop. We contend that’s because the summer slide doesn’t happen in school, it happens at home.
We just knew that a viable, successful, scalable literacy program could be developed and would give disadvantaged kids a real opportunity to become great readers and, in turn, give them the means to escape a life of poverty.
Kids Read Now helped 133,557 PreK-5th grade students strengthen their reading success within 250 school districts nationwide… just this year! Get our Impact Report to learn more about how we are making a difference.…Now
Kids Read Now collaborates with hundreds of school districts across the country, enabling schools to “gift” curated books directly to students homes – all year long.
We work diligently every day to give our school partners everything they need to keep their kids’ reading skills growing.
And it works.
Oh boy, it works.
Kids Read Now is proven to effectively reverse the summer reading slide and start students on a journey to better grades and a lifelong love of reading.
And we’re bursting with pride to say independent researchers, teachers, and families agree.
We have ESSA Tier 2 evidence-based proof that our program eliminated the summer reading slide even amongst at-risk students whose families struggle financially.
We were humbled and honored to be selected as one of twelve 2022 Library of Congress Successful Practice Honorees for our implementation of highly successful practices in literacy promotion.
Kids Read Now helped 133,557 PreK-5th grade students strengthen their reading success within 250 school districts nationwide… just this year! Get our Impact Report to learn more about how we are making a difference.
…Kids Read Now can more than eradicate the entire 2 months of summer learning loss experienced by low-income students. (The program) offers consistent and replicable positive impacts, and it is a model that can be scaled. This is highly important.
Big numbers, for sure. And growing every day as we welcome more schools and districts.
But our North Star, our motivation, is a single child, lying tummy-down on their bedroom floor, chin in cupped hands, legs intertwined, engrossed in a book.
We remember that feeling. And we’re sure you do too. Every child, no matter their personal circumstances, deserves to experience it.
This is a wonderful program that my child adored. It helped expand his vocabulary and reading skills, preparing him for the upcoming school year. He has gained more confidence in using his reading and communication skills with this program, sounding out words and comprehending them more easily.
What makes our program successful is our team – a diverse mix of educators, technical innovators, service, delivery, and communications experts.
But we’re also mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. Bonded by a core belief.
Every one of our team members is dedicated to our mission to help kids build a better life for themselves, their families, and our communities, by helping them become proficient readers.
And that’s why, if you talk to any of us, sooner or later you’ll hear us quote Harry S. Truman when he said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
Every year we turn our insights into change so more and more students see reading gains.
Every year we turn our insights into change so more and more students see reading gains.
Every year we turn our insights into change so more and more students see reading gains.
We had wonderful feedback from family members after the program was over. The children love receiving a book in the mail during the summer months. I truly believe that this program helps us eliminate the Summer Slide.
CEO Emeritus, Co-Founder, Board Chair
Leib and his wife, Barb, wanted to address the sad fact that just 34% of fourth graders are proficient readers, and in poor, black, and brown communities that number is less than 29%. Creating a nationwide, scalable, affordable, evidence-based, program that can serve every family in America was their goal in creating Kids Read Now.
Leib’s literacy roots run deep as his mother started a preschool neighborhood program in 1958 that grew to become a proven program used as the basis for Head Start. Leib is a serial entrepreneur. His prior firm, One Call Now, served 7,000 schools and districts, as well as tens of thousands of community and youth organizations, and Kids Read Now was built on the foundations of outreach to parents.
Co-Founder, Board Member
Barb began her post-secondary education as a classical piano major. After completing her Bachelor’s in Music, she completed her Master’s in Piano Pedagogy and Music Theory. Then she returned to college again and was certified as a classroom teacher, 1-8. Earning endorsements for Teaching Gifted Children K-12 and Teaching Reading K-12, she taught for many years in a variety of settings including classroom (predominately reading/social studies), reading pull-out, and gifted pull-out.
After “retiring” from teaching, she became the third Executive Director of Kids Read Now. She leads the Kids Read Now Book Selection Council and uses her years of teaching experience to ensure children will have the best books to read over the summer. Barb also uses schematic theory to develop each book’s Discovery Sheet for maximum kid and parent engagement.
In her spare time, she loves creating stained glass art, quilting, gardening, knitting, reading, and playing the piano. She enjoys spending time and travelling with her family.
Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Kristen Walter, Executive Director, brings over 20 years of experience in education and literacy services, having worked as a teacher, in arts integration, and with organizations such as Crayola, Reading In Motion, and Worldreader.
With a passion for program growth, organizational development, and increasing the availability of high-quality literacy services for children, Kristen is committed to supporting Kids Read Now’s mission of closing reading gaps through book choice, engagement with text, and maintaining reading momentum outside of school.
Chief Operating Officer
Over the course of his career, Randy has more than 30 years of experience in management, training, project management, strategic planning, and operations. This includes 5 years with AT&T, managing a large midwestern call center, and a start up computer cabling business.
Kids Read Now is a company whose mission and values align with Randy’s own, making this a perfect fit for him at this time in his career. He joined the organization on October 8, 2018 as the Director of Client Success. Later, in September of 2021, he took on the role of Chief Operating Officer. His goal is to continue scaling the company, enrolling more schools in the program and getting more books in the hands of children.
Randy received an MBA in 2011 from Urbana University. Over the last 10 years he has taught business courses at a local university. He and his wife Jackie have lived in Vandalia and Butler Township, Ohio for more than 35 years.
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