Learnup Centers

LEARNUP CENTERS IS A NONPROFIT LITERACY CENTER BASED IN SAN FRANCISCO ON A MISSION TO TEACH ALL LEVELS AND TYPES OF LEARNERS TO READ.

IN 2021, LEARNUP CONTINUED TO LAY THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THE GROWTH OF OUR PROGRAMS. PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE ALL IN PERSON. THE PANDEMIC CHANGED EVERYTHING. BUT IT HASN'T CHANGED WHAT WE TEACH, JUST HOW AND WHERE WE TEACH IT. SINCE GOING VIRTUAL, WE ARE GETTING MORE TEACHERS TO LEARN HOW TO TEACH READING USING OUR PROGRAMS AND WE HAVE AN IMPACT ON STUDENTS FAR BEYOND OUR CITY AND REGION. GOING DIGITAL HAS NOT CHANGED OUR OUTCOMES. THE AVERAGE LEARNUP STUDENT LEARNS TO READ IN 60-80 HOURS OF ONE ON ONE TUTORING. GEOGRAPHY IS NO LONGER A BARRIER. WE CAN LEVERAGE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND NOT MOVE THE TUTOR OR STUDENT, SAVING TIME, ENERGY, AND THE FRUSTRATION OF COMMUTING. AS ONE DONOR EXCLAIMED, YOU HAVE SOLVED THE LAST MILE PROBLEM! AND, WE ARE DELIVERING PROGRAMS TO OUR HARDEST TO REACH YOUTH. PRESTIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS ARE CHOOSING TO PARTNER WITH US BECAUSE OF OUR RESULTS, REGARDLESS OF OUR SIZE. WE ARE A SMALL AND MIGHTY ORGANIZATION. THESE INSTITUTIONS INCLUDE: O THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF SAN FRANCISCO TO BRING READING DIRECTLY INTO THE CLUBHOUSES WHERE CHILDREN IN NEED OF OUR SERVICES SPEND EVERY AFTERNOON.O KIPP SAN FRANCISCO BAY ACADEMY TO HELP THEIR 5TH AND 6TH GRADERS WHO ARE READING AT 2ND AND 3RD-GRADE LEVELS GET READY FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL.O THE SFUSD SELECTED US AS A TIER 3 PROVIDER TO TEACH THE KIDS THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS BEEN ABLE TO TEACH TO READ. O WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH THE UCSF DYSLEXIA LAB TO EXPLORE AND PROMOTE EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO TEACHING KIDS WITH DYSLEXIA TO READ.O AND WE HAVE BEEN SELECTED BY GETTING OUT STAYING OUT A RECIDIVISM REDUCTION NONPROFIT IN NEW YORK CITY TO TEACH RIKERS ISLAND FORMERLY INCARCERATED YOUNG MEN TO READ.WE ARE STARTING TO SCALE. WE WENT VIRTUAL RELUCTANTLY. BUT NOW WE HAVE IT FIGURED OUT AND IT WILL ENABLE US TO GROW AND SCALE IN WAYS WE COULD NOT HAVE IMAGINED TWO YEARS AGO. VIRTUAL LEARNING MEANS GEOGRAPHY IS NO LONGER A BARRIER, OPENING UP THE ENTIRE NATION AS A POTENTIAL MARKET FOR OUR SERVICES. THIS CAN BE SEEN IN THE ONLINE WORKSHOP WE HELD FOR AN ONLINE CHARTER SCHOOL IN OKLAHOMA THAT IS DEPLOYING OUR PROGRAM AS THEIR PRIMARY LEARN-TO-READ PEDAGOGY. ALL OF THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WAS DELIVERED ASYNCHRONOUSLY VIA OUR ONLINE PLATFORMS. WE CONTINUE TO REFINE AND IMPROVE OUR ONLINE COURSES MAKING THEM MORE ENJOYABLE AND REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF TIME IT TAKES TO LEARN HOW TO TEACH READING. MAKING OUR COURSES ACCESSIBLE TO MORE EDUCATORS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WILL INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO TEACH AND TUTOR OUR STRUGGLING READERS USING OUR STRUCTURED LITERACY PROGRAM STEEPED IN THE SCIENCE OF READING. THE MORE PEOPLE WE CAN DEPLOY USING OUR PROGRAMS, THE GREATER CHANCE WE WILL HAVE TO REDUCE OUR NATIONS READING ACHIEVEMENT GAP.