HISTO BINGO | WRITE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

 

HISTO BINGO | WRITE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

“Making It Cool to Write After School.”

Executive Summary

Childhood literacy in Texas has reached a breaking point with devastating consequences for students, families, and communities. In the Fort Worth Independent School District—and across Texas—over 80% of poor children of color are not reading on grade level by third grade. This single measure predicts lifelong struggles in education, employment, and opportunity.

The Write After School Program—anchored in faith, family, and community partnerships—offers a bold, scalable solution. By combining the strength of churches, schools, parents, and local organizations, the program provides children with safe spaces, nutritious meals, structured academic support, and engaging enrichment. At the center is the HISTO BINGO learning model, which turns literacy into a fun and memorable adventure.

Targeted to Kindergarten through Middle School, Write After School also deploys high school and college students as tutor-mentors, reinforcing peer-to-peer learning, leadership development, and community service. This structure not only improves outcomes for younger children but also builds responsibility, empathy, and workforce skills among older youth.

By transforming the critical 3:00–7:00 PM hours into opportunities for growth, Write After School fosters literacy, strengthens family bonds, and builds the human capital that drives economic competitiveness in Fort Worth, Texas, and beyond.

The Problem: A Crisis in Childhood Literacy

The Statistics

• In FWISD, over 80% of poor children of color fail to meet grade-level reading benchmarks by third grade.

• Children who cannot read by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.

• Literacy gaps disproportionately affect students of color and low-income families, reinforcing cycles of poverty and limiting upward mobility.

The Impact

• For Students: Poor reading skills erode confidence, reduce engagement, and heighten the risk of academic failure.

• For Families: Parents face stress and limited options for safe, affordable after-school care.

• For Communities: Weak literacy translates into weak workforce readiness, higher unemployment, and diminished economic competitiveness.

This crisis is not only academic—it is social, economic, and moral.

The Answer: Write After School

The Write After School Program is a faith-based, community-driven response designed to nurture the whole child. It combines structured learning with fun, creativity, and social-emotional development while offering families peace of mind.

Parents’ concerns are clear:

• Where can my child go after school where they are safe, supported, and fed?

• Where can my child receive homework help, reading support, and writing instruction in a fun way?

• How can my child grow in discipline, comprehension, and confidence before evening hours?

Write After School provides the answer, making literacy both engaging and empowering.

The HISTO BINGO Model

At the core of Write After School is HISTO BINGO, a unique and interactive tool that transforms literacy into play. Through games, storytelling, writing challenges, and interactive competitions, HISTO BINGO delivers measurable academic growth while ensuring students remain excited about learning.

Program Outcomes:

1. Improve Reading Skills – building fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

2. Build Writing Proficiency – developing grammar, structure, and creative expression.

3. Strengthen Mental Comprehension – sharpening focus, memory, and problem-solving.

Unlike traditional tutoring, HISTO BINGO creates a culture where “learning is fun, and fun is learning.”

Tutor-Mentor Model

A distinctive feature of Write After School is the use of high school and college students as tutor-mentors.

• For younger students (K–8): They gain relatable role models and personalized academic support.

• For mentors: They develop leadership, teaching, communication, and responsibility skills.

• For communities: This model creates a pipeline of service-minded youth who are both learning and leading.

This “near-peer mentoring” structure has been shown to accelerate learning gains while deepening community bonds across generations.

Partnership and Purpose

The Write After School Program thrives on collaboration, bringing together:

• Project Stand Up – Providing dynamic curriculum tools that inspire literacy growth.

• Skills City USA – Supplying programming, professionalism, and passion for workforce readiness.

• Church Partners – Transforming sanctuaries into safe, faith-centered hubs for learning.

• Parents and Families – Serving as active allies in a child’s literacy journey.

• High Schools & Colleges – Providing tutor-mentors who strengthen both academic achievement and community service.

This ecosystem of care and learning creates a sustainable model that addresses immediate literacy needs while preparing the workforce of tomorrow.

Leadership & Vision

The leadership of Drs. Elizabeth and James Branch, Pastor Kyev Tatum, Sr., and the students of Skills City USA ensures the Write After School model is:

• Scalable: Effective for small rural towns and large urban districts alike.

• Adaptable: Flexible to community needs, demographics, and resources.

• Transformative: Bridging families, schools, and faith communities into unified networks of support.

Why It Matters

• For Parents: Peace of mind knowing children are safe, cared for, and academically supported.

• For Children: Access to meals, homework help, literacy development, and fun enrichment.

• For Schools: Higher test scores, stronger family engagement, and fewer behavioral issues.

• For Churches: A ministry of impact that converts facilities into centers of hope and literacy.

• For Communities: A healthier, more literate generation equipped to fuel economic growth and competitiveness.

Investing in literacy is not just charity—it is economic strategy. Strong readers become strong workers, innovators, and leaders.

A Call to Action

The literacy crisis is urgent, but solutions exist. The Write After School Program is ready to be deployed now. It requires the united action of churches, schools, community leaders, parents, and funders to ensure every child has the opportunity to read, write, and thrive.

Together, we can:

• Turn the tide of illiteracy.

• Equip the next generation with skills to lead.

• Strengthen families, communities, and economies.

Let us act now—because every child deserves the gift of literacy, hope, and opportunity.

Contact

Pastor Kyev Tatum, Sr.

817-966-7625

kptatum1@gmail.com