College of Natural Sciences - Literacy First: Bilingual Early Literacy Tutoring

WHO WE ARE

Literacy First is the only high-impact tutoring program in the United States teaching children to read in Spanish and English. Since 1994, Literacy First has collaborated with public, Title I elementary schools and community organizations to help teach over 30,000 children how to read. Literacy First is an outreach program of the Charles A. Dana Center in the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin.

We are on a mission to teach young children how to read, equipping them to excel in life and realize their dreams. We view literacy as a human right and envision a world in which every child has the opportunity to become a confident, lifelong reader. We train early literacy educators to implement our model—in both English and Spanish—using our proprietary curricula, data tracking system, and coaching model.

WHAT WE’RE FUNDRAISING FOR

Literacy First has seen the reading crisis grow firsthand. Before the pandemic, 50% of the students we assessed needed intervention. During the 2024-2025 school year, about 60% of students qualify for our services, entering with earlier-level reading skills and needing more time to reach grade-level goals.

To meet this need, we use evidence-based practices to train tutors who provide daily, one-to-one support to 2,000 children each year. We work with students ages 5–8 to develop foundational reading skills before 3rd grade. Through one-to-one support, students also benefit from the positive social and emotional growth fostered through their bond with their tutor.

Literacy First is scaling its proven early literacy tutoring model to meet rising demand across Texas. As of the 2025–2026 school year, it serves 52 schools across Texas. We're working to reach more students by sustainably growing our tutoring program to reach at least 3,200 students by 2029. We're also transforming instruction by training tutors, teachers, and staff in our data-driven methods, which have proven to boost student success and can be used across subject areas.

YOUR IMPACT

Literacy First students consistently show 2–3 times more growth in skills like phonics and fluency compared to their peers who don't receive our tutoring. Your gift to Literacy First ensures that students have the opportunity to reach important foundational reading milestones, setting them up for lifelong learning, academic success, workforce readiness, and community engagement.

Your gift to Literacy First provides tutoring to students like Roshina, who fell in love with reading through our program. Roshina and her Literacy First tutor, Maria, had been working together to improve her reading fluency. One day, Roshina asked Maria if they could read more stories during their lessons. After speaking with her Literacy First coach, adapting the lessons, and connecting Roshina with books she enjoyed, Maria noticed Roshina’s growing excitement for reading. Maria shared:

“Watching Roshina grow as a reader has been one of the more rewarding parts of being a tutor. I saw her confidence growing, and she was beginning to read more fluently. It was a reminder that reading isn’t just about the words on the page—it’s about connecting with the story, enjoying the experience, and building a lifelong love of books.”

Support Literacy First this 40 for Forty to match more children with highly effective Literacy First tutors like Maria. This one-to-one reading support gives students the opportunity to develop as readers and thrive in the classroom, setting them on the path to success in school and in life.