Nearly half the third graders in Cincinnati Public Schools cannot read at grade level, and a small nonprofit is using a new $10,000 grant to chip away at that gap in schools near Hyde Park and Oakley.
Winn Reading, which pairs trained literacy mentors one-on-one with kindergarten through third-grade students, received the grant from the Scripps Howard Fund and WCPO 9 to expand decodable book libraries and purchase iPads at Rothenberg Academy, WCPO reported July 27. The grant also funds mentor training, background checks, and additional books at the nonprofit's other partner schools.
Those partner schools include two on Cincinnati's east side: Sands Montessori and Pleasant Ridge Montessori, the organization's newest site. Pleasant Ridge Montessori is just north of Hyde Park.
The numbers behind the need
The need is acute.
CPS earned a 2-star Early Literacy rating on the 2024-25 Ohio State Report Card, with third-grade reading proficiency at 55.8%, according to Winn Reading's 2025 Impact Report. That means roughly 11 students in a typical classroom of 25 are not reading at grade level. The district earned a 2.5-star overall rating, falling short of the 3-star standard Ohio requires.
Nationally, the percentage of eighth graders with below-basic reading skills is the highest it has been in 30 years, the report states.
How the program works
Kay Limbach, founder and executive director of Winn Reading, started the organization during the COVID-19 pandemic after tutoring a first grader at a library who could do math but couldn't read the directions on his homework.
"I thought there are so many kids out there who need extra help with reading, so I started Winn Reading during COVID," Limbach told WCPO.
In 2025, the nonprofit served 180 students, placed 44 literacy mentors in schools, logged more than 2,200 volunteer hours, and hosted 14 community storytime events. Each mentor meets with a teacher-identified student once a week for an hour. Winn Reading expanded to seventh grade in 2025, where it found students reading at a second-grade level.
The $10,000 grant specifically funds decodable book libraries for K-3 students at Rothenberg Academy to reinforce phonics instruction, plus six iPads for Scripps Spelling Bee preparation through the Word Club app. Beyond Rothenberg, the money helps train mentors and covers required background checks for volunteers entering CPS buildings. The grant also supported Winn Reading's "Read and Reach" summer tutoring program, which completed its final week of sessions on Monday, July 27.
Parent perspective
Anne Whitman, a stay-at-home mother whose son attends Sands Montessori, has been involved with Winn Reading for three years. She first learned about the program from her son's first-grade teacher at Mount Washington Elementary. Her son enters fourth grade in fall 2026.
Whitman said the program built her son's confidence and willingness to engage with books rather than just flip through pictures.
Budget pressure on CPS
The grant arrives as CPS faces significant financial strain. The Board of Education voted 5-2 on Monday, July 27, to place a five-year, 0.75% earned-income tax levy on the Tuesday, November 3, general election ballot. CPS Treasurer Mike Gustin said in the district's Monday, July 27, announcement that the district closed a projected $58 million budget gap for 2026-27 through staffing reductions, furlough days, and spending cuts, but that one-time measures cannot solve an ongoing revenue problem.
Approximately $6.7 million of the current budget relies on one-time revenue that won't be available in future years.
