wits Kindergarten

WITS KINDERGARTEN

Started in 2005, WITS Kindergarten (WITSK) serves Chicago Public Schools kindergartners. Students spend fifteen-twenty minutes once a week reading aloud one-on-one with the same mentor, practicing skills, and enjoying stories. WITSK helps students build book and print awareness as well as letter and sound recognition skills. WITSK encourages students to love reading.

WHY wits kindergarten MENTORING 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.

How well a student engages in back-and-forth communication is a strong predictor of whether a kindergarten student will meet first grade literacy targets.

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.

New research emphasizes the need for resources and programs that support students’ emotional well-being, which plays a critical role in their academic success.

Research shows that reading aloud and talking about what you have read encourages social-emotional learning, empathy, and conversation skills.

GET INVOLVED

Volunteer with WITS

Support this program with a donation.

Become a program partner.

Learn more about the WITS Mission & Outcomes

our outcomes

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.

71%

By the end of the school year, 71% of WITS students had met or exceeded the national standard for reading level proficiency in their grade level, compared to 39% at the beginning of the school year.

75%

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.

84%

Eighty-four percent of WITS students reported that they liked reading books for fun at the end of the school year, up from 68% at the beginning of the school year.

90%

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.

program facilitators

Jessica Gilliam

Program Coordinator

Jackson May

Marketing Coordinator

Tra'Lisha Renteria

Program Specialist

Estefania Rodriguez

Program Coordinator