Avery’s mom had tried everything. By the time her daughter reached first grade, she knew something was wrong. She went to a national tutoring franchise, spent $6,000 and her daughter still didn’t make any progress. When she sought other options, she was told it would cost an additional $10,000 and require hour-long sessions several times a week.

“My 7-year-old couldn’t have handled that,” Avery’s mom said. “There’s no chance that would have worked for her.”

While working out at Gainesville Health and Fitness, she came across an advertisement for PEAK Literacy. After meeting with PEAK’s literacy specialist, she learned that they had seen success with hundreds of students like Avery in just 15 minutes a day with a trained volunteer. Avery could do the lessons from home at a time that worked for the family.

“It sounded too simple, but it was free, so I had nothing to lose,” Avery’s mom said.

The changes came slowly at first, and then all at once. One afternoon, Avery picked up a greeting card and read it out loud in front of her family. “We were just flabbergasted,” Avery’s mom said. “You’re trying everything you can to help your child, and you don’t know what to do, and then suddenly something works.”

When Avery started with PEAK, she was reading at an early first-grade level. In just over a year, she reached a fourth-grade reading level, more than three years of growth. Today she reads books in the car, keeps them by her bed and reaches for them on her own.

Avery’s story is not unusual. Founded in Gainesville in 2019 by Leah Galione, PEAK Literacy has grown from 15 students to more than 300 served each year. Families describe the same turning point again and again: a child who struggled doesn’t anymore. They have confidence. They are proud of themselves. They engage in the classroom. They pick up books on their own.

The 15-Minute Difference

Their model is simple: one volunteer, one child, 15 minutes a day using Great Leaps — a research-based reading intervention with more than 30 years of proven results. On average, PEAK students gain over a year of reading growth in just 12 weeks through targeted instruction, consistency and steady relationships with caring adults.

PEAK partners with schools, afterschool programs, neighborhoods and faith communities, engaging more than 100 volunteers each week to support families from all backgrounds.

Closing the Gap in Gainesville

Literacy gaps in this community have persisted for decades, and traditional responses have not been sufficient to close them. The solution already exists within the community itself: people who are ready and willing to support children’s success.

What’s needed is a clear structure and the right tools to turn that willingness into a consistent, meaningful impact.

How to Get in Their Corner

PEAK is expanding to serve 600 youth in the 2026 to 2027 school year, and we need your support. Families seeking help are welcome, and so are adults ready to make a difference.

Whether you can volunteer one hour a week, become a monthly giving partner or host a fundraising event, there is a place for you. No prior experience is required, just a willingness to show up for children.

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