WITS Kindergarten
WITS Kindergarten (WITSK) is a one-on-one reading program that takes place at Chicago public elementary schools. Kindergarten students read with a consistent mentor each week, practicing skills and enjoying stories. WITSK encourages a love of reading and learning.
Why WITS Kindergarten is Important
Our partner educators believe that consistent one-on-one support will not only help students academically, but will also fulfill a need for social interaction.
At the end of the school year, an average of 90% of WITS students reported feeling good or very good about spending time with their mentors.
Seventy-five percent of WITS Kindergarten teachers reported that their students had developed specialized reading interests throughout the year, an increase of more than 30% from the beginning of the year.
Research shows that reading aloud and talking about what you have read encourages social-emotional learning, empathy, and conversation skills.
According to data from The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), based on testing from Spring 2024, only 31% of elementary school students in Chicago Public Schools are proficient in reading.
By the end of the 2024-25 school year, 62% of WITS students had met or exceeded the national standard for reading level proficiency in their grade level.
80% of WITS-K teachers reported their students had developed specialized reading interests throughout the year, an increase of more than 44% from the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.
91% of WITS students reported having positive attitudes towards reading at the end of the 2024-25 school year, up from 73% at the beginning of the year.
At the end of the 2024-25 school year, an across-program average of 94% of WITS students reported feeling good or very good about spending time with their mentors.
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