The board chair of the Heart of Missouri United Way says 37 percent of third graders in Columbia are reading at the third-grade level. That means 63 percent are not.
“Read Across Columbia” is a top priority for the Heart of Missouri United Way, which serves residents in Boone, Cooper and Howard counties. Heart of Missouri United Way board chair Mitzi Clayton pointed out the 37 percent number at the recent kickoff event. Heart of Missouri United Way president Andrew Grabau tells 939 the Eagle that other school districts in Boone County have similar reading numbers:
“We often cite Columbia Public Schools (CPS), but if you look at our Boone Indicators dashboard, which is booneindicators.org, you can see across Boone County out of the five main school districts in Boone County, four saw significant drops in third-grade reading. And it’s because of the challenges created by the pandemic,” Mr. Grabau says.
The Heart of Missouri United Way’s community campaign goal is $3-million-75-thousand dollars. The campaign was launched last week. Mr. Grabau says 98 percent of the support their annual campaign receives comes from the community. He says one in five community members are served by United Way funded programs. He’s asking you to consider making a donation.
