Reading Excellence and Discovery Foundation

Reading Excellence and Discovery Foundation, Inc. (abbreviated READ) is a non-profit charitable organization in the United States, founded in 1999 by Al Sikes and Alain Lebec. The program was first conducted at two parochial schools in 2000. The READ foundation was created in light of the high proportion of children in New York City from low-income households who, at that time, read below grade level. READ benefits kindergarten and first-grade students at risk of reading below grade level. The average session is forty-five minutes of phonics and fluency, conducted by middle through high-school students.