Athens businesses ‘team up’ to boost literacy in local schools

ATHENS, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - As the University of Georgia gears up for Saturday’s season opener, another kind of team spirit is sweeping across Athens; one centered not on touchdowns, but on turning pages.

Local businesses are joining forces to help students improve their reading skills, thanks to a growing partnership with the nonprofit, Books for Keeps.

The effort is part of ‘Get Comfortable’, a literacy initiative supported by Creature Comforts Brewing Company and more than 40 other area businesses.

The program matches students with reading mentors from local businesses and from Books for Keeps, and provides students with access to free books to help prevent summer learning loss, often referred to as the “summer slide.”

“Four dozen local businesses are all taking their generosity and aligning it in the same direction,” said Matt Stevens, Senior Director of Community Impact at Creature Comforts Brewing Company.

The impact is already being felt in classrooms.

Second graders at Howard B. Stroud Elementary School receive a dozen books each summer, thanks to Books for Keeps, and meet twice a week with reading mentors throughout the school year.

UGA researchers are tracking the program’s success — and the data is promising.

“We’re seeing between two and three times the literacy gains within our two schools as opposed to their controlled counterparts,” Stevens said.

Lauren Benbrook, a second-grade teacher at Stroud Elementary, sees the benefits firsthand.

“Even some kids who have behavior issues, they’re like, ‘Oh, I have to keep it together so I can see my mentor!’ It’s a wonderful program,” she said.

Benbrook emphasized that early intervention is critical to closing reading gaps before they widen.

“It takes a lot of work to close those gaps. So it’s really important when they’re young to get them where they need to be,” she said.

This year, the program is expanding to Fowler Drive Elementary, bringing the mentorship and reading resources to even more Clarke County students.

“Literacy involves listening, thinking, writing, and reading,” said Dr. Jennifer Scott, Interim Superintendent of the Clarke County School District. “That’s what these mentors are doing for them.”

Back at the brewery, where hops and books coexist, community members are redefining what it means to brew change.

“It’s incredibly rewarding when those lights go on,” Stevens said. “When you have a kid who was struggling with those sight words or the phonics, and all of a sudden they turn the corner and have a revelation.”

Educators encourage families to support reading habits at home by reading aloud, listening to audiobooks, or simply cracking open a book each night.

Because in Athens, it turns out, the next great team victory might just be found in the pages of a good book.