December 2007: College Prep “Upward Bound” Program begins in partnership with Central Unified School District.
October 2003: Funds received from U.S. Department of Education to expand our parent program throughout Fresno County and launch our Early Childhood Education Program.
Fall 1998: Members of First Covenant Church to call together community leaders to explore prospective solutions to helping neighborhood students who were struggling in reading.
October 2009: Opened five childcare facilities in Fresno, Selma, and Coalinga for families receiving County services.
May 2010: Reading And Beyond launches a job training program called "Fresno Bridge Academy" in partnership with FIFUL (Fresno Institute for Urban Leadership), and funded by Fresno Regional Workforce Investment Board, Economic Opportunities Commission, and AT&T.
History of Reading And Beyond
Fall 1998: Luis Santana, current Executive Director of Reading And Beyond, was asked to lead the endeavor.
March 1999: Fresno Covenant Foundation (now Reading And Beyond) was established as a 501(c)3 with $20,000 seed money from First Covenant Church.
September 1999: Literacy tutorial and parent programs are launched with 30 families matched with 30 volunteers from First Covenant Church.
Fall 2001: With a grant from Fresno Unified School District, we expanded our successful literacy tutorial program from just one site at First Covenant Church to five new sites.
May 2003: Executive Director Luis Santana and Board Chair Don Larson receive recognition from Fresno Unified School District as “model for other organizations.”
March 2004: Purchased a specially designed recreational vehicle (RV) to serve as our Mobile Classroom for parent outreach and parent workshops.
August 2004: Expanded our after school/literacy intervention to include over 500 additional students at five school-based sites
October 2004: We were one of only four organizations to receive national funding from the U.S. Department of Education to develop our Early Childhood Education program into a replicable model.
April 2006: Board of Directors Launches strategic planning process.
September 2006: Coordinated Parent Involvement Summit, with U.S. Department of Education guest speaker Morgan Brown.
December 2007: Fresno Covenant Foundation changes its name to Reading and Beyond.
August 2008: Partnership made with Butler Mennonite Church to operate Small World Preschool.
October 2008: Commemorated the move of our administrative office to South East Fresno with an open house.
December 2008: Visit and recognition by U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, Kerri Briggs for Reading and Beyond’s “remarkable example of impact that faith-based organizations have in a community.”
March 2009: Celebrated Reading And Beyond’s 10th Anniversary!
June 2009: Luis Santana receives James Irvine Foundation statewide leadership award “for advancing innovative and effective solutions to critical state issues”. Luis is the first person from the San Joaquin Valley to be honored with this award.