Photo courtesy of Catch Up & Read.
Of the hundreds of nonprofit organizations that participated in this year’s North Texas Giving Day, 17 nonprofits across the Dallas area exceeded their fundraising goals. Among them was Catch Up & Read, a Preston Hollow-area organization that helps children in underserved neighborhoods read at grade level by the end of third grade.
This year, Catch Up & Read set a fundraising goal of $300,000. The organization exceeded that goal by $68,205, raising a total of $368,205.
Carol Goglia, president and CEO of Catch Up & Read and Preston Hollow resident, shared what the additional donations mean for the organization.
“We set a really high goal, and we are just so excited,” Goglia said. “The extra dollars mean that we can be in schools with our unique teacher-led model.”
Catch Up & Read works with schools across North Texas, including Dallas ISD, Richardson ISD, DeSoto ISD, Mesquite ISD and Uplift Education.
During the 2025-26 school year, Catch Up & Read served 1,111 students across North Texas, partnered with 26 elementary schools and supported 173 teachers.
The organization’s approach focuses on improving students’ reading skills while equipping teachers with strategies they can continue using in their classrooms. Students receive approximately 50 hours of targeted reading instruction, and the program offers bilingual instruction to meet the needs of English- and Spanish-speaking students.
Through its program, principals at participating schools select seven teachers to lead their school’s Catch Up & Read cohort. Those teachers receive professional development twice a week and work with small groups of students to strengthen their reading skills.
“They work on the five pillars of literacy, whether that be phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, oral reading fluency and comprehension, in a two-hour program twice a week,” Goglia said.
The program aims to improve students’ literacy skills while helping teachers strengthen their instructional practices through updated training and effective reading strategies.
“Teachers are wanting updated training in the science of reading and coaching, specifically the science of reading, because [teachers] have learned the theory, but may want support putting it into practice,” Goglia said.
The length of the program varies depending on a child’s reading level. Some students enter the program as much as two grade levels behind. For those students, the program may last one or two years to give them additional time to catch up.
Photo courtesy of Catch Up & Read.
Teachers selected for the cohort receive stipends, lesson plans, instructional materials and training on how to assess students’ reading levels. Catch Up & Read also provides whiteboards and binders for classroom instruction.
Each student receives a reading-ready backpack to store supplies, including whiteboards, journals and a pencil bag.
The organization also provides books to students every week and encourages reading through its Catch Up & Read Store. Students can redeem tokens earned through program participation for prizes and toys.
“We provide books to children every single week,” Goglia said. “[Kids] also have a Catch Up & Read Store where they can save up their tokens they’ve been earning every day and can buy fun prizes and toys.”
Each time students visit the store, they receive a free book. Over the course of the program, students can take home at least 20 books, giving them more opportunities to practice reading beyond the classroom.
According to Catch Up & Read, 100% of students in the program demonstrated reading growth between beginning- and end-of-year assessments during the 2025-26 school year.
With its teacher-led approach, Catch Up & Read continues working toward its goal of helping children across North Texas read at grade level by the end of third grade.
