In a city where fewer than six in 10 third graders read at grade level, a Cincinnati nonprofit is working to close that gap one student at a time.Winn Reading, a literacy nonprofit focused on kindergarten through third-grade students in Cincinnati Public Schools, received a $10,000 grant through the Scripps Howard Fund and WCPO 9, both part of the E.W. Scripps Company, to bring new literacy tools and resources to students.The funding is supporting two initiatives at Rothenberg Academy: decodable book libraries for K-3 students to reinforce phonics instruction, and six iPads for the school's Scripps Spelling Bee preparation through the Word Club app and spellingbee.com resources.WATCH: Cincinnati nonprofit boosts reading skills ahead of fourth grade Cincinnati nonprofit uses $10K Scripps Howard Fund grant to expand literacy supportAccording to Winn Reading's 2025 Impact Report, Cincinnati Public Schools earned a 2-star Early Literacy rating for the 2024-25 school year, with third-grade reading proficiency at 55.8%, meaning roughly 11 students in a typical classroom of 25 are not reading at grade level. Nationally, the percentage of eighth graders with below-basic reading skills is now the highest it has been in 30 years.Kay Limbach, founder and executive director of Winn Reading, said the need became clear to her before the organization even existed."I was doing some tutoring on my own at the library, and I had a first-grade boy come to me who needed help with reading, and he was very good at math.
But when we went to do his math homework, I realized he couldn't read the directions for his math homework, and so that just kind of stuck in my mind. I thought there are so many kids out there who need extra help with reading, so I started Winn Reading during COVID," Limbach said.In 2025, the organization served 180 students, placed 44 literacy mentors in schools, logged more than 2,200 volunteer hours and hosted 14 community storytime events.Winn Reading's core model pairs trained literacy mentors with students identified by teachers as needing additional reading support. Mentors work with students one-on-one, once a week for an hour, providing consistent, relationship-based support."We find many of them just lack confidence.
You know, for some reason, they just feel like they can't do it, and that relationship with their mentor helps them have the confidence to…
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