United Way Celebrates Reading Success as 'Yes, I Can Read' Students Show Remarkable Progress
- Vivian Tyson, NewslineTCI Editor
- Jun 10
- 4 min read
United Way Turks and Caicos is celebrating another milestone in its flagship literacy initiative, the "Yes, I Can Read" programme, as students demonstrated remarkable reading improvements during a year-end event at the Ianthe Pratt Primary School on Wednesday, June 3.
The event brought together students, parents, educators, sponsors, and United Way representatives to showcase the achievements of children enrolled in the intervention reading programme and to equip parents with tools to continue supporting literacy development during the summer break.
Chief Executive Officer of United Way Turks and Caicos, Claudine Ewing, said the organisation wanted to ensure that children remain engaged in reading activities throughout the two-month vacation period.
"We don't want to have brain drain. We don't want them on the internet all day TikToking and all those things," Ewing said. "We wanted to share information with parents on how they can help their children over the summer, even if it's just 15 minutes a day."
Parents participated in a workshop where they received practical tips on encouraging reading at home and in everyday settings, such as grocery shopping, reading product labels, T-shirts, and signs.
The programme's impact was evident through parent testimonials. One father shared how his daughter, who comes from a French-speaking household, has become a reading leader in her neighbourhood, helping other children, and even adult, improve their English reading skills.
"She's now the teacher," Ewing said. "Those are the things that we want to see manifest from our programmes."
Parents also received books, workbooks, and reading logs to help track their children's progress during the summer months.
Significant Growth in Reading Skills
The students' reading performance was the highlight of the morning's activities.
Ewing revealed that the 64 students enrolled at Ianthe Pratt since March 2025 have made extraordinary progress.
"When they started with us, they were learning the alphabet and letter sounds," she explained. "Today they were reading with expression. They were reading words naturally. It wasn't rehearsed. You can pick up any book in here, and those kids will be able to read."
Although the students have shown significant improvement, United Way plans to continue supporting them as they transition into Grade Four.
"We still think they need a little more hand-holding," Ewing said. "We'll do fewer classes with them, but we want to continue until they feel confident enough to handle it on their own."
The programme currently serves approximately 230 students across three schools - Ianthe Pratt Primary School, Enid Capron Primary School, and Thelma Lightbourne Primary School.
The largest enrolment is at Thelma Lightbourne Primary School, where 124 students participate in the literacy programme.
Since its inception, 68 students have successfully transitioned out of the programme after achieving the required literacy benchmarks, with another 40 students expected to graduate from the intervention programme in the coming weeks.
United Way is also providing one-on-one after-school tutoring for 10 students in Grades Five and Six and hopes to eventually expand support into the secondary school years.
Sponsor's Commitment Making a Difference
A key contributor to the programme's success has been Donna Schechter, whose family foundation fully sponsors the Ianthe Pratt literacy initiative.
Schechter said her lifelong love of reading inspired her family's decision to support the programme.
"As a lifelong reader, books have always been very important to me," she said. "I met Claudine, and when she explained the programme, it resonated with me. We love spending time in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and we wanted to give back to the community in a meaningful way."
Her family's annual contribution of approximately $60,000 covers teachers, educational supplies, programme activities, and operational costs for the literacy programme at Ianthe Pratt.
Reflecting on the students' progress, Schechter said she was deeply moved by what she witnessed.
"I'm just blown away by the progress," she said. "It's a culmination of so many people coming together as a community to support these children. They enjoy reading, their personalities are coming through, and they are becoming more confident every day."
Literacy as a Tool for Social Change
Chairman of United Way Turks and Caicos, Mark Fulford, said the organisation launched the programme after recognising a strong connection between literacy challenges and broader social issues.
"We recognised there was a need within the community to fill a void," Fulford said. "Statistics show that children who are unable to read become frustrated with the education system and can find themselves heading down the wrong path."
He described the literacy programme as an innovative approach to crime prevention and youth empowerment.
"Reading opens so many doors," Fulford said. "You can't even move through an airport or travel without being able to read signs. This is a critical life skill that we're teaching from day one."
Fulford praised the dedication of programme facilitators and expressed gratitude to the Schechter Family Foundation for making the Ianthe Pratt programme possible.
Looking ahead, United Way hopes to expand the "Yes, I Can Read" programme beyond Providenciales to schools in North Caicos, Middle Caicos, South Caicos, and Grand Turk.
"We're looking forward to expanding to other schools," Fulford said. "Seeing these children read with confidence and excitement reminds us why this programme is so important."
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