Readable

WE TEACH. Since January 2014, ReadAble has been running weekly reading and language arts classes for children ages 2 to 15 in a neighbourhood in the Chin Swee area. We started out teaching in children’s homes, but have grown to occupy classrooms in the Residents’ Committee Centre. We teach a phonics-based curriculum to our earliest readers and deliver a programme which complements the primary school syllabus for those who have mastered the basics of reading. We use drama, movement and play to draw out a love for reading, build self-confidence, and encourage creativity. WE BUILD. ReadAble has built a community library of over a thousand books for our kids to freely access books at every reading level throughout the week. We also organise educational excursions to plays and museums, as well as connect kids’ families with community resources, such as school supply donations and workshops by professional educators. Through our BookDrop project, we set up conducive study spaces and mini-libraries in kids’ homes. WE MENTOR. Apart from our classes every Saturday, some volunteers run one-on-one classes with children in their homes across the week forming deep relationships with families. We also started a class teaching the predominantly migrant mothers of our students, functional English to navigate life in Singapore. EVERY CHILD LOVED. We believe that children thrive in love. We are committed to forming lasting relationships with them as teachers and mentors. Each child’s progress is closely monitored and classes are tailored to meet their learning styles. We recognise that our children weather challenges such as parental incarceration or family violence, and we strive to support them. EVERY FAMILY PARTNERED. Family support is crucial to a child’s success. We work alongside families to reinforce children's learning at home. We seek to understand our children’s home life and we engage parents with routine updates on their children’s progress. EVERY VOLUNTEER EMPOWERED. ReadAble is entirely volunteer-led and run, and we are serious about equipping our people. We run regular training sessions on topics from phonics to classroom management and how toxic stress affects child development. We constantly refine our methods based on research and best practices. EVERYONE A COMMUNITY. We seek to build an inclusive community that encourages children's diverse aspirations and engages everyone with empathy. We have a flat volunteer structure led by our Co-founders and Core Team who form friendships with children and their families. Together, we work to eradicate social inequality.