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Community groups confront Athens’ child literacy crisis
ATHENS, Ga. — Nearly half of Clarke County third graders read below their grade level, placing the community in a literacy crisis with long-term educational and economic consequences.
According to the Georgia Department of Education, in the 2024-25 school year, 47% of Clarke County third graders read below their grade level. Among the county's fourth graders, 57% are behind compared to 43% statewide. Research indicates that children who are not reading at or above their grade level by third grade are four times less likely to be a high school dropout.
To help address this issue, Creature Comforts Brewing Company launched its “Get Comfortable” campaign in 2021, hoping to help increase the literacy rates in Clarke County third graders. The initiative works with nonprofits such as Books for Keeps in Athens and has pledged to increase the percentage of Clarke County third graders reading at their grade level from 20% to 60%.
The program began at H.B. Stroud Elementary and recently expanded its efforts to Fowler Elementary last year. Matt Stevens, the senior director of community impact at Creature Comforts, said the data coming from these early years of the program shows promising results.
“We are seeing an average treatment effect of 295%,” said Stevens. “These are bombshell results.
Students in the program performed nearly three times better on reading measures than those not receiving the extra support. This data comes from the annual Georgia Milestones test and the triannual iReady reading assessments.
In the 2022-23 school year, students at Stroud participating in the program’s literacy improved 600%, compared to the 109% for the control group. In 2023-34, the participants maintained strong growth at 300%, while the control group improved 75%.
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The data illustrates consistent, accelerated improvement among students participating in the Get Comfortable Campaign. (Graphs/Mara Mershon)
School attendance among participating students has also improved, with participants averaging four fewer absences than their peers.
Books for Keeps, an Athens-based nonprofit partner in the campaign, runs the literacy mentor program. The literacy mentor program aims to create excitement around reading while forming supportive relationships between the children and their mentors. Ruthi Hortsch, the executive director of Books for Keeps, said though they are in the early stages of the program, there are measurable results.
“At the end of the end of the school year [Spring 2025], 58% of the kids who were in our program were reading on level.” Hortsch said. “In the control schools, it’s 36%. So that’s a really big difference.”
Despite early gains in the initiative, literacy rates remain among the lowest in Georgia. The Get Comfortable campaign has received statewide and national recognition, including being named the U.S Chamber of Commerce’s “Best Community Improvement Program” in 2023.
There is still more work to close the literacy gap, and stakes remain high in Clarke County. Ten years from now, these children will enter the workforce, where literacy is essential for higher education, employment and economic success. ​​
Why did I write this?
I wrote this story Tto highlight Athens’ child literacy crisis and show how local organizations are stepping in to make a difference. By sharing this information, the community can better understand the urgency of the issue and support efforts that help children succeed.