Stan Tucker is making big changes in children’s literacy. What initially began as a personal project of Stan’s has grown into a much larger organization. Based out of Atlanta, Georgia, Stan’s Leap for Literacy project has now helped countless students embrace their passion for reading and writing.
Stan's Inspiration
Stan’s passion for literacy began when he worked as a second-grade teacher in a Title 1 school. Having worked with lower-income and at-risk students, he was able to see the gaps in education that these students faced. Some of the children he taught had little to no personal reading materials at home. Stan also noticed that at school book fairs, many of his students weren’t able to get a book of their own. And, this is where he started to think of ways he could help.
Stan wanted to do something to support his students, so with his own money, he founded Leap for Literacy in August 2015. After seeing how many children Stan had the opportunity to help, he realized that he could have a much broader reach if he expanded his project. Stan said,
“The aim of our organization is to provide at-risk and low-income students with the opportunity to obtain sought-after books by removing financial barriers in an effort to develop life-long readers.”
Leap for Literacy
Members of the foundation team also visit classrooms and read aloud to the students. Aside from promoting children to read and write, one of the goals of Leap for Literacy is to encourage children to be kind to one another. Stan believes it’s pivotal to teach the importance of kindness to children so that it will stick with them into adulthood. He says, “In my opinion, lessons on kindness are just as important as academic ones.”
Photos by: Agpicture
To receive a book in the Leap for Literacy program, each child needs to read for 20 minutes a night and log the reading into a journal. They also need to perform one act of kindness a day for an entire month. Some examples of kindness acts that the children are asked to perform are writing letters to a friend, complimenting a friend, helping neighbors with yard work, etc.
Leap for Literacy recently launched a new website, and Stan is excited to see what impact his program will be able to have on kids in the future. While the program is currently based in and around Atlanta, Stan dreams of replicating the program all over Georgia and then in other states. For those looking to donate, Leap for Literacy has a book wish list, and they also accept monetary donations to sponsor students in the program. Learn more today at the Leap for Literacy website.
Photos by: Agpicture