Read Ahead Email Format
Non-profit OrganizationsNew York, United States11-50 Employees
Read Ahead is a New York City-based non-profit that uses reading-based mentoring to develop social-emotional skills linked to academic and lifelong success. Since 1991, it has paired volunteer mentors from corporate and community partners with students at nearby public elementary schools for one-on-one reading experiences. Through regular lunchtime sessions, the program seeks to build students' confidence, motivation to learn, and essential school-life skills. During the 2018-19 school year, Read Ahead partnered with 15 elementary schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens to reach more than 1,000 students. In partner schools, nearly 70% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch under the NYC DOE Poverty Count. In August 2024, Executive Director Kristen Baldwin announced she would depart the organization, effective October 2, 2024, after more than a decade with Read Ahead.