Our Mission
I Would Rather Be Reading (IWRBR) provides equitable access to trauma responsive literacy support and social-emotional learning to children across greater Louisville.
IWRBR provides reading tutoring, summer camps, after school programs, family engagement sessions, enrichment experiences, and professional development for educators and out of school time providers.
TESTIMONIALS
"I honestly feel like I Would Rather Be Reading is the best thing that ever happened to my son. He’s been able to build those social skills, emotional skills, and better reading skills—and it’s even translated over to math as well. He’s doing a lot better in school.”
Rayneisha Anderson | Parent
"IWRBR is an amazing organization whose dedication to students and the community is unmatched. They have been a wonderful support to our school and families. Students are learning not only reading skills but also life skills to become functional and thriving members of society."
Nicole Groft | ECE Implementation Coach at JCPS
"... It’s clear Ashley and Allison with I Would Rather Be Reading are by far the most hardworking, dedicated, and compassionate nonprofit leaders among those we have engaged. Perhaps the most impressive part is that IWRBR is still a startup, Ashley and Allison’s first attempt at navigating the challenges of building a nonprofit from the ground up. While they lack the experience of some longtime nonprofit leaders, they make up for it with sweat equity, and their willingness and drive to help the students and families served by IWRBR."
Kevin Trager | Trager Family Foundation
Made Possible By
OUR STORY
In 2017, founders Ashley Dearinger and Allison Ogle were both teaching in Louisville schools when they realized many of their students were falling behind not because they lacked potential, but because they lacked access to high-quality, joyful literacy experiences. Together, they created I Would Rather Be Reading (IWRBR), an afterschool program rooted in connection first, literacy always—pairing reading intervention with social-emotional learning and enrichment that helps kids thrive.
What began as one classroom after school has grown into a citywide movement serving hundreds of students each year through school-based afterschool and summer programs. Today, under the leadership of Co-CEOs Ashley Dearinger and Allison Ogle, IWRBR’s Educate & Elevate model blends Science of Reading–aligned tutoring, Mindful Literacy lessons, and enrichment pathways that help students build confidence, character, and a lifelong love for learning.
Through our programs, we’re proud to partner with schools and community organizations to expand access to high-quality out-of-school-time learning experiences. Every day, our team of educators, coaches, and partners works to ensure that children not only learn to read but see reading as the key to a bigger, brighter future.
