Paulette Harris Literacy center helping Richmond County kids improve their reading skills

7/18/25, 4:00 PM

Originally from https://www.wrdw.com/2025/07/18/literacy-center-helping-richmond-county-kids-improve-their-reading-skills/

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - With school coming up, the Harris Literacy Center is helping kids improve their literacy skills.

Richmond County reflects the national average of 30% of kids being proficient at a third-grade level.

A recent K–12 Dive article posted by the center shows a growing concern among early elementary educators who don’t feel adequately supported to help, with not enough students reading at an elementary level.

Betsy VanDeusen with the Harris Literacy Center says Richmond County mirrors the national numbers on literacy and is sometimes even on the lower end.

This means that many are behind before they have even started.

Austin Copeland, who has been with the center since March, says a lot of kids need to catch up.

”It’s not just one or two kids slipping through the cracks; it’s hundreds. Give it 10 more years, it may be thousands," said Austin Copeland, literacy center tutor and teacher.

Copeland says the growth he sees is very fast, even as fast as the next session.

VanDeusen says they have to teach the kids in front of them, as well as work on solutions to prevent kids from falling behind in the future.

“If they get the support they need, if they get that remediation they need, when they need it. We can change all of that. Their futures are very bright,” said Laurie Cook, director for Rise Augusta.

Cook says when students start doing better in school and start reading more, that can change their parents as well.

“It’s not impossible, but it just takes Places like this to pretty much help kids get back on track,” said Copeland.

Both the Harris Literacy Center and Rise Augusta offer year-round tutoring.

There are different days and times based on which place you use, but there are some things you can do at home.

Experts say it starts with having a book at home or pointing out objects for your child to describe or words to spell.