HIKE
Reading changes everything
When children learn to read, they unlock a future with more opportunity. HIKE helps struggling readers catch up, build confidence, and stay on track for success in school and beyond.
Focused on reading. Built for the future.
HIKE, short for Help Instill the Key to Education, is Phoenix Family’s after-school and summer program for children living in low-income housing communities. It is built around one powerful idea: learning to read changes everything.
For children who are behind in reading, early gaps can grow quickly. When reading is difficult, every subject becomes harder. HIKE gives children the focused support they need to strengthen reading skills, build confidence, and keep moving forward.
Alongside reading instruction, HIKE also gives children hands-on experiences that help connect learning to the world around them—because success is not just about catching up. It is about helping children imagine what comes next.
What learning support looks like
HIKE combines targeted reading instruction with hands-on enrichment to help children build skills, stay engaged, and connect learning to a bigger future.
Reading Labs
Targeted support for struggling readers through one-on-one and small-group instruction.
Personalized Instruction
Reading support is tailored to each child’s reading level and learning needs.
Progress Tracking
Reading goals are documented through mentor check-ins and reading logs.
Reading Assessment
Progress is measured using the Scholastic 3-Minute Reading Assessment.
Hands-On Learning
STEM, cooking, gardening, art, physical activity, and other rotating experiences bring learning to life.
Confidence & Curiosity
Children build problem-solving, teamwork, focus, and a stronger belief in what they can do.
When children struggle to read, everything else gets harder
Reading is the foundation for learning across every subject. When children fall behind early, school can become frustrating, confidence can drop, and the gap can keep widening.
That is why focused reading support matters. The earlier children get the help they need, the better their chances of building the skills that support long-term academic success.
HIKE helps close that gap. By strengthening fluency, comprehension, and confidence, the program helps children move forward with the tools they need for school, graduation, and future opportunity.
A closer look at HIKE
HIKE is designed to help struggling readers catch up and stay engaged, while giving children new experiences that expand what they believe is possible.
children enrolled each year
core program components: Reading Labs and General Programming
targeted reading support available for struggling readers
days a week of programming during the school year and summer
of struggling readers improved reading proficiency
by at least 12 months
A child’s story
When reading starts to click
Riley has been part of Phoenix Family programs for years. When she was younger, she loved being there.
As she got older, school—especially reading—started to feel harder. She wasn’t picking things up as quickly as some of her classmates, and by second grade, she had begun to shut down and act like she didn’t care.
In HIKE, things started to shift. Not all at once, and not without some pushback. There were still days she didn’t want to read, days she tried to avoid the work. But over time, with steady support, she started to push through the parts that used to stop her.
HLittle by little, she built confidence
Now, Riley reads at grade level and takes pride in her work. She’s often the one sitting next to a younger child, helping them sound out words or finish an assignment.
She’s still the same kid—but now she knows she can do hard things.
How HIKE Works
Assess
Children’s reading levels are identified so support can be tailored to where they are and what they need next.
Build
Through Reading Labs, children strengthen fluency, comprehension, and confidence with targeted instruction and consistent practice.
Expand
General Programming connects learning to hands-on experiences that build curiosity, problem-solving, and a stronger sense of what is possible.
You can help children move forward
HIKE works because children have access to consistent learning support, strong relationships, and opportunities to grow.
You can help make that possible.
Volunteer
Spend time with children in Phoenix Family communities and help support learning.
See opportunities →Donate
Your gift helps children strengthen reading skills and build a stronger future.
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