CLOSING THE LITERACY GAP IN CHICAGO
Early literacy skills are essential in helping children transition from learning to read to reading to learn and eliminating the literacy gap. Yet, many children in Chicago don’t receive the time and skills to build a foundation for reading to close the gap.
Our mission
SitStayRead advances children's literacy and builds confidence in young readers by using an engaging curriculum incorporating on social-emotional learning enriched by certified reading assistance dogs.
OUR VISION
SitStayRead envisions a world where every child, regardless of race or economic status, has access to the resources and opportunities they need to develop strong literacy skills, build meaningful connections with animals, and thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
OUR CORE values
SitStayReads is guided by “community agreements” as we serve children through formative literacy experiences. These values include being community-centric, curious, transparent, solutions-focused, and creative.
OUR HISTORY
Founded in 2003, SitStayRead was born out of a community outreach program at the Call of the Wild School for Dogs in Chicago. MaryEllen Schneider was managing the Call of the Wild School and volunteering at Rainbow Animal-Assisted Therapy with her dog, Shandy.
As Shandy was nearing 10, she showed signs of aging while working with children in a very active volunteer program. However, MaryEllen knew Shandy wasn’t ready for full retirement.
MaryEllen realized that her dog’s ability to sit and stay with children as they read to her could bring value to the community while keeping Shandy engaged during her golden years.
MaryEllen then enlisted Sarah Murphy and MK Czerwiec, who were training their dogs at Call of the Wild, to help her launch an innovative literacy program driven by animal-assisted learning.
As of 2024, SitStayRead has supported more than 25,000 students, distributed over 60,000 books, and hosted countless literacy events across Chicago. Bilingual programming is being developed as is an expanded community of volunteers and dog-teams from the neighborhoods we serve on Chicago’s south and west sides.