A child who falls behind in reading may never catch up, and is less likely to graduate high school and go on to a healthy and successful life.

Poor, urban children are often denied the stimulating environment necessary to develop literacy skills. They are limited before they even get started.

Rochester has the 11th highest child poverty rate in the nation, worse than New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C. Eighty-eight percent of city students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches and only 39 percent of students will graduate from high school.