Decode Project

Our Mission: To eliminate inequities in education by fostering a diverse community of learners prepared to navigate the world.

Decode Project was founded in 2018 when its co-founders were inspired by their work with struggling young readers to create equitable and effective access to literacy and social-emotional academic support. Since then, Decode Project has worked with over 200 students and hundreds of caregivers, educators, and youth workers.

Our goal is equity in education. Our work is to close the opportunity gap by providing students with learning differences and financial barriers effective structured literacy instruction.

We do this in three key ways:

We Train Literacy Mentors - We train future educators and community leaders in evidence-based, multi-sensory Structured Literacy, anti-racist/anti-biased relationship building, resilience-building, and trauma-informed care.

We Teach Kids to Read - We partner students not yet reading at grade level and/or showing signs of dyslexia, with Literacy Mentors using structured literacy methods.

We Develop A Network of Advocates - We provide workshops, resources, individualized reports, and advocacy support for caregivers, community agencies, schools, and educators. We work to ensure all students have access to the resources necessary to become skilled readers.

An alarming 68% of Kentucky fourth-graders are not reading at grade level. As a city, our education failures land disproportionately on Black and brown students and students from low-income households. 71.7% of our public school 4th graders not reading at grade level are BIPOC students.

DP prioritizes students most in need of structured literacy. The structured literacy interventions Decode Project uses are designed for students with learning differences but they work for everyone! Our literacy interventions are multi-sensory, evidence-based, scientifically proven, and tailored to each student— a key to equity.

Reading is an essential skill for academic achievement, personal growth, civic engagement, and overall positive health outcomes. It is our belief that literacy is a first step to improving our community as a whole.  We must prepare all children to follow their natural curiosities and passions so they can grow up to educate, understand, inspire, and transform the world around them. With your help, we can continue to create equity in education for all students in our community!

To learn more, visit us at decodeproject.org or send us an email at Nikki@decodeproject.org.

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Who We Are

Mission: To eliminate inequities in education by fostering a diverse community of learners prepared to navigate the world.

Decode Project (DP) is committed to improving equity in education by providing:

*Free & affordable 1:1 and small group reading instruction and mentorship that is personalized using evidence-based, structured literacy methods

*Providing Workshops and resources for Caregivers, Educators, and other Youth Serving Organizations

*"Next Level" Anti-Racism/Anti-bias and resilience-building initiatives and trainings

DP grew out of the startling observation that nearly 60% of Louisville's elementary aged students are not yet reading at grade-level proficiency. Black and brown students, students from low socioeconomic households, and students who display symptoms of dyslexia are often left behind. Reading is FREEDOM! Reading is an essential skill for ensuring academic progress, personal growth, civic engagement, and overall positive health outcomes.

It is our belief that literacy is a major step to improving equity and liberation in our community. We've DECODED and unlocked resources that really work, are asset-based, and we've made them free or affordable.

We see the potential of ALL children, embrace their backgrounds and are compelled to do our part to help them grow up to educate, understand, inspire, and transform the world around them.

Join us!