Gaining Ground has developed a unique, three-tiered approach to ensuring that all children and families have equitable access to the critical literacy resources necessary to become readers, thinkers, and leaders!
Building Home Libraries
Project-Based Learning Literacy Instruction
Family Engagement
All three programs are implemented in our partner schools, impacting over 5,000 children each year.
Tulsa Public Schools
Unity Learning Academy
John Hope Franklin Elementary
Celia Clinton Elementary
Springdale Elementary
Anderson Elementary
Monroe Demonstration
Union Public Schools
Ellen Ochoa Elementary
Christa McAuliffe Elementary
Building Home Libraries
Children growing up in homes with at least twenty books get three years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents’ education, occupation, and class.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility
Research proves that reading books as children makes for happier adults! Books bring joy, happiness, experiences, and emotional growth to all! As importantly, having a large number of books in the home is proven to increase academic achievement for students!
Gaining Ground increases book access for over 5,000 children across the Tulsa community. Through our free book fair at seven partner schools, book bus program, and community events, we are dedicated to ensuring that children can choose books that represent their life experiences and have characters who look like them. We know the importance of books and recognize that books are windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors to children's futures.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
We hated to say goodbye to our OG bus, but she was tired and ready to retire!
We received a generous donation from the Ed Darby Foundation and QuikTrip Corporation to purchase a brand new ADA book bus.
This new book bus ensures that we can provide consistent literacy support and allow more children access to critical learning resources, which will grow readers, thinkers, and leaders across the Tulsa area!
In the summer of 2024, the Gaining Ground Book Bus made over 216 scheduled stops and provided thousands of books of choice for the children we serve.
PROJECT-BASED LEARNING LITERACY PROGRAM
Through project-based learning opportunities, students are empowered to take ownership of their learning. They use their voices to advocate for issues they care about and make tangible community changes. These projects are more than academic exercises—they are real-world opportunities for children to explore their passions, engage in activism, and develop a lifelong love of learning.
At the heart of our approach is a commitment to individualized instruction. Maintaining a low teacher-to-student ratio ensures that each child receives the personalized attention they need to thrive. Our educators can tailor their teaching strategies to meet the unique needs of every student, fostering an environment where children feel supported, challenged, and inspired to reach their full potential.
Gaining Ground believes every child deserves an education that equips them with essential skills and empowers them to become compassionate, engaged citizens. We are committed to providing the resources, support, experiences, and opportunities necessary for students to grow as learners and individuals capable of positively impacting the world around them.
FAMILY ENGAGEMENT
Family and Caregiver Collaborations bring families together in a welcoming and engaging environment. These sessions offer a variety of interactive mini-experiences where families come together to read, write, draw, and talk together.
Each session is designed to celebrate each family's uniqueness and provides a safe environment where families work together to create a project that shares their story as a family. Each session ensures caregivers authentically model literacy skills that help their children grow as learners. Through this collaborative process, caregivers support learning by developing vocabulary, increasing word knowledge, practicing story-telling, growing critical thinking skills, activating creative thinking, and growing the love of learning as a family.
FAMILY FEEDBACK
We asked families the following question: "What did you enjoy the most about the family collaboration?"
“Me ah encantado como nos orientan para poder ayudar a nuestros niños a fomentar la lectura y crear un bello hábito en ellos, haciéndolo de forma divertida”
English translation: “I loved how they guide us to help our children encourage reading and create a beautiful habit in them, doing it in a fun way”
“Toda la información me ha sido muy interesante lo que más me ha gustado que nos dan todos los materiales que necesitamos”
English translation: “All the information has been very interesting to me, what I liked most is that they give us all the materials we need”
“The resources to access more reading materials; the methods for guiding our kids to read; the fellowship together and exchanging information.”
“All the information has been very interesting to me. What I most liked was that you gave us all the materials we needed.
“I have loved how they help us to help our children to grow in their reading and create good habits in them in a fun way.”
"The resources to access more reading materials;
The methods for guiding our kids to read;
"The fellowship get together and exchange information."