Empowering children, one book at a time.
Gaining Ground is a grassroots literacy non-profit created by educators recognizing the inequities in access to books, literacy support, and opportunities for children living in economically disadvantaged areas. Gaining Ground has developed a research-based approach to providing access and choice to engaging books, after-school programming, family support, and summer literacy camps to ensure equity in resources and high-quality education.
Mission
Gaining Ground’s mission is to develop readers, thinkers, and leaders by providing families with engaging literacy experiences and access to high-interest, culturally responsive books.
Core Values
Love of Literacy
We believe literacy is a human right. We are passionate learners and educators who work to ensure that all children have the opportunity to become lifelong readers, thinkers, and leaders through literacy experiences. Books help expand our worldview, bringing us closer together and encouraging curiosity, growth, and empathy.
Social Justice & Equity
Book deserts result from systemic and structural inequities that cause harm, and we are passionate about eliminating them. We believe everyone should have access to engaging books and personal libraries filled with stories they love, no matter where they live. Books develop critical thinking skills and inspire us to take action on issues in our community, make a change, and create a better world.
Representation
It is essential for children to see themselves in books. Our priority is to offer inclusive, representative, and culturally responsive books, so children and families can identify with characters, ideas, and authors. We believe books serve as windows and mirrors and are crucial to the positive development of all children. Kids need to see themselves, their families, cultures, and experiences reflected in the books around them to feel safe and connected within their schools and communities.
Community and Belonging
We believe in the power of books to build connections and nurture community. We are committed to fostering a sense of belonging by developing trusted relationships with students and their families. We are invested in fostering long-term relationships with the communities we serve and commit to engaging community input in creating programs that best meet the needs of children.
Five-Year Impact
Students with little access to books during the summer months are at risk of losing 40% of their school-year leaning. We can change that and here are some of the ways Gaining Ground has been combatting learning loss in the Tulsa area community:
780
families have received home reading engagement kits and or have attended a Gaining Ground family coaching clinic.
371,000
books have filled the homes of children since 2018.
5,000+
children each year receive new books of choice for their home libraries.
of students who participate in our reading program meet or exceed their individual reading goals.
89%
