A Cumberland Community Foundation grant will be used to help elementary school children catch up on reading skills they missed due to the pandemic.

The $133,330 grant will go to Fayetteville State University’s Reading Clinic, which enables university students to provide tutoring services to first- through fifth-grade students selected for the clinic.

According to the university, the goal of the Reading Clinic is to help children in the community “achieve reading proficiency.” 

The clinic is managed by Ashley Johnson-Holder, assistant professor in the Department of Elementary, Middle Grades, Reading, and Special Education (EEMRSE).

The university said that under Johnson-Holder’s direction, FSU students receive training from a certified trainer to deliver the Helping Early Literacy with Practice Strategies (HELPS) program. 

Johnson-Holder said she is ecstatic about keeping the clinic going and continuing to inspire a passion for reading among children in the community. 

"I have seen so much growth for the individuals tutored through this program, and we are excited to continue shaping lives," Johnson-Holder said.

The new funding will allow the clinic to help close the reading proficiency gap seen during the pandemic. A statement from the university said fostering literacy skills and ensuring children achieve reading proficiency will allow children to attain the fundamentals needed to prepare them for post secondary education, or entering the workforce.

According to the Cumberland Community Foundation, it provides essential funding to programs that enhance the quality of life throughout Cumberland County, which is aligned with recent state legislation.

A new law signed by Gov. Roy Cooper in April modified 2012 legislation known as the Excellent Public Schools Act, which included the North Carolina Read to Achieve (RtA) program.

Language in the 2012 legislation stated the goal of the program was “to ensure that every student read at or above grade level by the end of third grade and continue to progress in reading proficiency so that he or she can read, comprehend, integrate, and apply complex texts needed for secondary education and career success.”

The more recent legislation “Excellent Public Schools Act of 2021” was sponsored by Sen. Phil Berger, R-Dist. 30; Sen. Deanna Ballard, R-Dist. 45 and Sen. Michael V. Lee, R-Dist. 9.

In a story by the North State Journal, Berger talked about the purpose of the new legislation.

“In this bill you are going to see a lot about what’s called the science of reading,” Berger said at a press conference in early April. “For those of you who may not know, the science of reading is evidence-based reading instruction, practices that address the acquisition of language, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and spelling, fluency, vocabulary, oral language and comprehension that can be differentiated to meet the needs of individual students.”