FLiP Success Stories: Melody & Layla
At Sing Out and READ, the success of students in our program is something we want to celebrate with you. 
Recently, we had the chance to sit and connect with two families about their experience in our program. These stories of impact make our efforts and your contributions even more special.
Melody
Student, Grade 4When school children struggle to develop expected reading skills, they can become discouraged and frustrated “as a lack of confidence, low self-esteem, and anxiety can quickly progress” (How to Build Confidence in Struggling Readers: IMSE Journal, 2021).
Naomie faced an overwhelming challenge; her 8-year-old daughter Melody struggled to meet 4th-grade reading requirements, and it was frustrating to find cost-effective solutions. The most common method for improving a student’s reading proficiency is intensive, one-on-one tutoring. Tutoring can require four or five sessions per week, over six months, and on average, costs $5000 yearly.
Limited in resources and financial assistance, Naomie reached out to her daughters’ Boys & Girls Club of America, where funding had enabled income-eligible families to participate in The Family Literacy Project (FLiP). The FLiP program is $500 per child and free of charge to eligible families.
Melody, who loves singing and dancing, became highly engaged with the program and enjoyed the repetition of the songs. Using the power of singing through gamified software, and a personal coach, FLiP gave Melody and her family a cost-effective way to gain essential reading skills. The songs in the program vary in difficulty; students read and sing the music repeatedly and in a meaningful context. Over 12 weeks, Melody’s quiz results proved a steady increase in her reading proficiency. Subsequently, she scored above the 80th percentile in the program.
Since the FLiP program, Melody has picked up karaoke! “She plays Bruno Mars nonstop and easily reads the subtitles,” Naomie exclaimed. Melody is not only on track for 4th grade, but her reading has improved by a full year.
Layla
Parent to 2nd and 3rd GraderSing Out and Read had just joined forces with 74th Street Elementary School, where a high rate of economically disadvantaged students attend. Layla, the mother to a second and third-grader, faced uncertainty as her daughters needed a different approach to reading proficiency.
With the primary focus on struggling readers being the child, we tend to overlook the pressures parents may face to find a cost-effective solution. Research has shown that the earlier parents become involved in their children’s literacy practices, the more profound the results and the long-lasting the effects (Mullis, Mullis, Cornille, et al., 2004). Understanding this, Layla plays an active role in tackling her daughters’ struggles in reading.
There is a connection between reading proficiency between home and school: parents have an influence. Cognizant of that reality, the FLiP program commissioned its “secret weapon”: FLiP coaches. FLiP coaches establish relationships with parents, motivate them, and can troubleshoot any difficulties during the 12-week program.
Layla’s experience with the FLiP coaches and the program was positive, sharing, “FLiP created a structure for my kids but also allowed me a real way to track their progress." Her involvement included setting a schedule and reviewing how her children used the program. She successfully monitored, encouraged, and praised both daughters. Taking an active role in her children’s reading proficiency, she directly impacted their overall success. At the end of the 3-month program, both students had moved up two reading grade levels.
The SOAR partnership with 74th Street Elementary empowered Layla as a parent and provided a successful opportunity for her daughters to grow in their reading proficiency.
