YMCA READS Students and Tamera Howie

YMCA Reads! And You Can Help…

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This is not her first rodeo, and you can tell. Miss Tamera knows how to keep their attention. She’s doing it with a smile, but also with a “it’s time to pay attention” tone. She’s running her YMCA Reads! class, an early reading intervention program for students in kindergarten through the fourth grade.

Tamera Howie is Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA’s Program Director for YMCA (Y) Reads! The free initiative that assists low-income children has been running at the Tampa Y for about 12 years. At the helm for over four years, Howie loves being able to help her students not only with reading, but also with social skills.

A young boy in a bright green rash guard and patterned swim trunks smiles excitedly with his arms outstretched while standing in shallow water at a colorful water park. Behind him, vibrant blue, red, and yellow water slides and play structures tower under a partly cloudy sky.

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“The primary goal of Y Reads! is to help students achieve reading success for their grade level through research-based, data-driven curriculum and disguised learning,” says Howie, who is based at the Sulphur Springs PK-8 Community Partnership School.

“Although we focus on reading, I would say this program offers wrap-around services by collaborating with our host schools and parents, integrating the Positive Behavior Support Model in-program, and meeting the needs of our students.”

YMCA Reads! mentored students for 4,048 hours in the 2023-2024 program year. This year, the initiative is serving 86 students at the Sulphur Springs PK-8 Community Partnership School and Pizzo K-8 School. The main funding for Y Reads! comes through the Florida State Alliance of YMCAs. Additional funding is courtesy of the United Way Suncoast and Raymond James.

YMCA READS! Classroom with Tamera Howie teaching

Says Howie: “Our program is a safe space where students can come and be themselves. They are encouraged to be confident in their reading skills and growth in all areas. We work hard, but we are sure to celebrate just as much! What I love most about YMCA Reads! is seeing our students' growth and increased interest in reading, which boosts their self-confidence also.”

Schools refer students for the remedial program, which also focuses on helping them attain or maintain satisfactory school attendance as well as satisfactory school behavior, which is integral to a successful school experience and closing the achievement gap.

YMCA Reads! operates in small learning groups with individualized lessons. Tampa Y is always looking for program volunteers. No experience is necessary. Our volunteer hours run during the school year, Monday through Thursday from 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up through the Tampa YMCA Volunteer Hub – https://www.tampaymca.org/volunteer.

To support the initiative, please visit: https://tampaymca.org/give.

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*Presented by the YMCA | Featured Image: Tamera Howie with her Y Reads! students | Originally published in the March 2025 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.