Take the first step toward building a successful partnership. We look for elementary school teachers and administrators who are committed to helping their at-risk readers. We look for a coach in a partnering high school who understands that the commitment and rewards of service will help his/her student-athletes develop and mature. When we bring Readers Are Leaders to an elementary school, there are key steps for the schools to take that are essential for the program to be a success.

• Each year, our first financial commitment is to the partnerships that we are currently supporting. To bring in new schools and teams, we must have sufficient funding.

• If our funding permits, we actively recruit elementary schools and high schools to build new partnerships. We begin by connecting with key educators such as an elementary school reading specialist, an elementary school principal, or a high school coach.

• We communicate to our potential partners the spirit of the program, the benefits to each partner, the details of the funding and services that we provide, and the specific steps that each partner is required to take.

• If each partner is fully committed to the partnership and we feel that we have a good match, we provide a Partnership Agreement Letter to be signed by the elementary school principal and reading coordinator as well as the high school coach and the high school principal or athletic director.

• The partnership works best if the elementary school and high school are in close proximity to one another so that transportation and travel time are minimized.

• We communicate to our potential partners the spirit of the program, the benefits to each partner, the details of the funding and services that we provide, and the specific steps that each partner is required to take.

• With these steps in place, we welcome a partnership that offers both the elementary school and high school significant rewards.