Catch Up & Read

What Catch Up & Read does

Catch Up & Read is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2009 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas (EIN 45-3533496) that delivers reading intervention to elementary students in underserved North Texas communities. The organization partners with school districts—primarily Dallas ISD, Richardson ISD, and Fort Worth ISD—to embed certified Literacy Coaches and high-dosage tutoring into approximately 26 elementary campuses, with instruction delivered in both English and Spanish and grounded in the Science of Reading methodology (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension). Outcome tracking relies on third-party instruments iReady and mCLASS, with self-reported metrics including 100% student reading growth, 65% of students advancing a proficiency band, and 96% of teachers reporting increased instructional capacity (Catch Up & Read Teacher Survey 2025, administered by Johns Hopkins University).

The organization's product surface consists of a core intervention program (campus-embedded literacy coaching paired with individualized tutoring), supporting add-on modules (CAR Store token-based rewards, Reading Rallies, professional development workshops, summer reading toolkits, Galleria Dallas mural exhibits), and a Gifts of Joy marketplace where donors can purchase tangible program inputs such as reading libraries, backpacks, teacher totes, and Read Aloud Crates. Technology is not proprietary: the program depends on standard educational content and third-party assessment vendors, with no in-house software platform or AI/ML assets identified.

Catch Up & Read is entirely donation-funded. Revenue streams include individual donations tiered from $35/hour of tutoring to $2,000/full-year scholarship, corporate sponsorships (Reading Rallies, pickleball tournament, matching-gift programs), foundation grants (College Football Playoff Foundation and Cotton Bowl Foundation have been core supporters since 2017, contributing $50,000 in combined matching funds for North Texas Giving Day 2025), community giving events, and marketplace sales. With only 1-10 employees on staff, the model is leanly resourced and depends materially on volunteer engagement, in-kind book donations, and district-side operational cooperation rather than a direct sales or delivery workforce.

Name

Catch Up & Read

Legal name

Catch Up & Read

Website

https://catchupandread.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Catch Up & Read is a Dallas-based nonprofit that partners with North Texas school districts to deliver Science of Reading-based literacy intervention and teacher coaching, helping underserved K-3 students achieve grade-level reading through embedded tutoring in English and Spanish.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literacy Intervention Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDANAJAA

K–12 Remedial Reading & Literacy Intervention

Education/Tutoring & Test Preparation/Remedial, Credit Recovery & Academic Catch-Up Programs

SECONDARYEDAMAJAA

Early Literacy & Phonics Programs

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Reading, Writing & Literacy Enrichment

SECONDARYEDAJAMAF

Literacy & Reading Intervention Technology

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/K–12 Educational Technology Solutions

SECONDARYEDAGAAAD

Early Literacy & Reading Intervention Programs

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/K–12 Curriculum & Textbooks

Keywords

• Literacy intervention services
• Reading tutoring programs
• Teacher professional development
• Early childhood education
• Nonprofit literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting the literacy mission. Donation tiers range from $35 (one hour of tutoring) to $2,000 (full student scholarship for one year).
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate partners sponsor schools on waitlist, fund programs, and support events. Includes presenting sponsors for Reading Rallies and matching gift programs.
3. Foundation Grants: Support from foundations including College Football Playoff Foundation and Cotton Bowl Foundation ($50,000 combined matching funds for North Texas Giving Day).
4. Book Donations: Accepts book donations through Amazon wishlist registry and monetary gifts to purchase books for students and classrooms.
5. Marketplace Sales: Gifts of Joy marketplace sells literacy-themed products and experiential gifts (Reading Rallies, Teacher Appreciation, Read Aloud Crates) to support the mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Catch Up & Read is a nonprofit organization that delivers campus-embedded reading intervention and high-dosage tutoring in English and Spanish to underserved elementary students in North Texas. The program pairs direct student tutoring with year-round certified Literacy Coaching for teachers, using Science of Reading methodology and data-driven progress monitoring (iReady and mCLASS assessments) to move students to grade-level reading by the end of 3rd grade.

Product overview

Catch Up & Read operates a unified literacy intervention program that combines direct student tutoring with teacher professional development to help children in underserved North Texas communities read on grade level by 3rd grade. The core program consists of campus-embedded literacy coaching paired with high-dosage tutoring in both English and Spanish. Supporting the core intervention are several add-on modules: the CAR Store (token-based student rewards), Reading Rallies (end-of-year celebrations), Summer Reading Resources (parent-facing tip sheets and lesson plans), and Galleria Dallas Mural Exhibits (community literacy awareness events). The organization also sells educational products including Reading Libraries, Reading Ready Backpacks, Read Aloud Crates, Teacher Totes, Teacher Appreciation Cards, and Appreciation Breakfasts through its Gifts of Joy marketplace. Professional Development Workshops and the Summer Internship Program round out the educational offerings. Fundraising events like the Pickleball: Serve for Students Tournament provide additional community engagement and donor opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Literacy Intervention Program School-district contracted reading intervention program that embeds high-dosage tutoring into the school day at partner elementary campuses to move K-3rd grade students to grade-level reading proficiency.
• Literacy Coaching Year-round certified Literacy Coach support for partner school teachers, including in-the-moment coaching, lesson modeling, data analysis, and ongoing professional development grounded in the Science of Reading.
• Professional Development Workshops Standalone teacher training workshops for partner schools, including Change Cycle training and Science of Reading professional development days serving cohorts of 160+ educators.
• Reading Library Gifts of Joy marketplace item providing 8 hardcover books for one child's home library for their first year in the program; $96 for one child, $288 for three, $480 for five.
• Reading Ready Backpack Drawstring backpack containing reading supplies (whiteboard, pencils, pens, whisper phone) to support reading and writing; $23 for one child, $69 for three, $161 for seven.
• Read Aloud Crate Classroom library crate of hardcover books for daily read alouds including culturally relevant bilingual titles; $450 for one school, $1,350 for three schools, $6,750 for five schools.
• Teacher Tote Teacher supply kit with timer, whiteboard, and 150 participation tokens for the CAR Store; $65 for one tote, $150 for three, $350 for seven.
• Teacher Appreciation Cards Pack of 5 greeting cards with inspiring quotes celebrating teachers and space for personal messages; priced at $50.
• Appreciation Breakfast Sponsorship of a taco breakfast for teachers and tutors at participating schools; starting at $250 to split the cost, $500 for one school, $1,000 for two schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of students demonstrated reading growth (iReady and mCLASS composites, 2024-2025)
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Galleria DallascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly partnership showcasing educational murals celebrating literacy on the Gallery Wall. Includes weekly read-aloud events with guest readers and bilingual storytimes.
• Dallas CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership offering volunteer practicum opportunities for aspiring teachers pursuing Early Childhood Education degrees. Students gain hands-on experience testing reading proficiency.
• Dallas ISDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary school district partner with multiple elementary schools participating in the Catch Up & Read program. District data shows 92% teacher retention vs 80% for peers.
• Communities Foundation of TexasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue host for 'Change Cycle' professional development workshop for Dallas ISD principals and Executive Directors led by author Lilly Brock.
• Salut Paris BakeryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for summer reading challenge, offering free treats for children who complete reading goals.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Reading Is Fundamental (RIF): Long-standing national children's literacy nonprofit providing free books and literacy resources to underserved communities. Comparable mission and book-distribution component, though operates at much larger scale than Catch Up & Read.
• Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy: National foundation funding family literacy programs with focus on literacy from early childhood through adult. Comparable foundational funder and policy advocacy stance on K-3 literacy gaps.
• First Book: National nonprofit providing books and educational resources to programs serving children in low-income communities. Comparable book-distribution and educational-equity mission to Catch Up & Read's home-library and Read Aloud Crate components.
• Reach Out and Read: Large national nonprofit integrating literacy into pediatric primary care. Comparable mission of improving early literacy outcomes in underserved populations, but operates through a healthcare-clinic distribution model rather than school-embedded coaching.

Direct peers

• Reading Partners: National nonprofit providing one-on-one reading tutoring to K-5 students in underserved schools, using evidence-based curricula and progress monitoring. Closest direct peer in mission and operational model to Catch Up & Read.
• Book Harvest: Durham, NC-based nonprofit providing books to children from birth through elementary and operating family-literacy programs. Closely comparable regional nonprofit operating a books-plus-intervention model similar to Catch Up & Read's home-library and tutoring mix.
• 826 National: Network of youth writing and literacy centers providing tutoring, writing workshops, and publishing programs for under-resourced students. Comparable supplemental-education nonprofit targeting K-12 literacy development.
• Raising A Reader: National early-literacy nonprofit focused on birth-to-age-8 reading habits through partner organizations and book-bag rotation programs. Highly comparable mission to Catch Up & Read's early-literacy and home-library focus, though delivers via different mechanism.

Regional players

• Literacy Inc (LINC): NYC-based nonprofit building literacy-rich environments for children in under-resourced neighborhoods through family and community engagement. Closely comparable regional literacy-intervention model but operating in a different geography.
• BookSpring (Austin): Central Texas literacy nonprofit serving children and families through reading resources and community programs. Comparable regional nonprofit literacy model in Texas, but Austin-focused rather than Dallas-Fort Worth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/catchupandread
• Instagraminstagram.com/catchupandread
• Facebookfacebook.com/catchupandread
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catch-up-read

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Catch Up & Read