SitStayRead advances children's literacy and builds confidence in young readers by using an engaging curriculum incorporating social-emotional learning, enriched by certified reading assistance dogs.
Since 2003, SitStayRead has been serving Chicago schools and community-based organizations where the student population is 90% low-income and 60% or more third graders are reading below the national average. The beloved nonprofit offers bilingual iterations of all of its programs, to best help children learn English while honoring young dual language learners' process. The organization provides thousands of new, quality, developmentally appropriate books to establish and grow home and classroom libraries. This year SitStayRead will almost double last year's impact, distributing over 6,000 books.
The Chicago Public Schools 2023 state report card reported that only 12.2% of low-income third graders were reading at grade level. While there was some improvement in 2024, gaps remain high in the neighborhoods SitStayRead serves, which were particularly hard hit with school readiness and learning loss during COVID lockdowns. SitStayRead's evidence-based literacy enrichment programs and family literacy events provide extra attention from Book Buddies and Dog Teams, a range of approaches, and simple joy that ignites curiosity while fostering skills, motivation, and confidence in our young students.
Over the past few years, SitStayRead has focused efforts in several anchor neighborhoods on Chicago’s South and West sides in neighborhoods where significant and persistent literacy gaps, including Archer Heights, Auburn Gresham, Belmont Central, Gage Park, Galewood, Little Village, Pilsen, and Austin. Six to eight-week classroom residencies are offered in Chicago Public Schools, charter schools, and parochial schools, while family literacy events occur either in the schools or in partnership with other community partners in a variety of settings.
SitStayRead prioritizes CPS when possible, and offers low fee-based Family Literacy Events to a wider range of Chicago organizations, including a major new partnership with the Chicago Public Library as part of its new Jump Into Reading initiative and collections to support emergent readers with decodable chapter books and other resources. In the summer of 2025, SitStayRead plans to pilot a new family literacy residency program for parents of prekindergarten children.
If you would like to learn more about volunteering or supporting our work in another way, please have a look at our website or contact info@sitstayread.org.
