Reading Excellence and Discovery Foundation, Inc. (abbreviated
READ) is a
non-profit charitable organization in the
United States, founded in 1999 by
Al Sikes and Alain Lebec. The program was first conducted at two
parochial schools in 2000. The READ foundation was created in light of the high proportion of children in New York City from
low-income households who, at that time, read below
grade level. READ benefits kindergarten and first-grade students at risk of reading below grade level. The average session is forty-five minutes of
phonics and
fluency, conducted by middle through high-school students.