Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools Program More than 150,000 children have completed a culturally competent literacy and social action enrichment program that improves reading skills by an average of 8 months over a 6-week period. The 16,000 young adults who have worked with these children have developed leadership skills and have been exposed to classroom teaching. Hundreds of communities in 30 states across the country have been experiencing the trans-formative effects of hosting Freedom Schools program sites, with parents, local businesses, schools, churches and volunteers working together to build the next generation of scholars and leaders.
