With a $23,600 grant from SC Johnson, Mount Pleasant’s Lakeside Community Oriented Policing (COP) House expanded the successful Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room program for kids ages 3 to 5. “Bookworms”, the kindergarten readiness program which began the enrollment process in January, was added to strengthen educational performance. The original “Novel” program for school-aged children will continue with the addition of the “Bookworms” program to further engage the community.
“63% of students in our community are not reading at grade level by 4th grade. Our program not only prepares students for kindergarten academically but also ensures they are socially and emotionally prepared to learn,” said Tammy Myers, President of Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room. “We will be able to increase the size of our program with the grant from SC Johnson, which helps us build a strong foundation for as many children as we can.”
Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room has demonstrated success in improving reading and comprehension levels at the Lakeside COP House’s program for students aged 5-12, with 100% of participants seeing improved literary performance. Additionally, the average student increased 1.53-grade levels, with the 9 lowest-performing students in the program reaching an average increase of 2.47-grade levels. (See attached graphs.)
In order to continue teaching students during COVID-19, Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room made the necessary adjustments to quickly move to online virtual classes for the “Novel” program, with most students attending class from their home. For students without access to wi-fi, they are allowed into the COP House building and are required to follow social distancing guidelines while using the computers for the online education sessions. “Our mission is to meet children where they are, and walk beside them while teaching the joy of learning.” Myers said. The plan is to bring “Bookworms” and “Novel” back into the COP House this summer using appropriate Covid-19 safety precautions.
The Lakeside COP House opened in 2015 at 2237 Mead Street to provide services that benefit families and address community concerns. Since 2009, SC Johnson has provided more than $600,000 to the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
To learn more about the Lakeside COP House and its community initiatives, visit their website.
For more information regarding the Mrs. Myers’ Reading Room, please contact Tammy Myers at 262-456-2384.
