CINCINNATI — “I always say, if you want to be yourself, you have to see yourself. The first place where you need to see yourself is in a book,” Learning Through Art Inc. Co-Founder Kathy Wade said.  

That’s the affirmation that got the wheels turning for Kathy Wade, who was looking for a way to merge the love of books and reading with the arts. She and her late husband would eventually start up the nonprofit Learning Through Art Inc.

What You Need To Know

  • Learning Through Art Inc. looks to empower, engage, and excite young readers through performing arts

  • LTA was recently renewed for the 2024 Educational Success Grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation

  • $30,000 will go to support LTA's Books Alive! For Kids Innovation Lab

“Art is our most common bond because it makes us human. Therefore, it makes it the perfect component to teach,” Wade said.  

Thirty-two years later, the organization has reached over a million readers through their programming across Greater Cincinnati and beyond. 

The Books Alive! For Kids program makes reading come alive through sound, sight and touch. Their goal is to improve equitable access. BA!FK programming has won several awards, including multiple regional Emmys. 

"It helps us to create avenues that we didn't even think a book could take us," Wade said. 

LTA's immersive literacy model is broken down into three pillars: representation, relevance (topics that matter and reflect their lives and social-emotional development), and relationships (focus on the entire family unit).

In 2022, 65% of fourth grade students in Ohio were not at a proficient reading level, according to the latest Kids Count Data compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. That number’s slightly lower than the national average, which was 68%. 

“As we are assessing a particular organization or a particular school, what are the needs? What are the resources? How can we help fill in those gaps of opportunity?” LTA Artistic Director Kelly Jo Asbury said.  

Learning Through Art Inc. was renewed for the Greater Cincinnati Foundation’s 2024 Educational Success Grant, giving them $30,000 for the Books Alive! For Kids Innovation lab. Asbury told us it’s an idea birthed from the pandemic and has now expanded into an app. 

“We are running. We’re actually running in real time, and it's great to see,” she said.  

Wade said she's excited about the next iteration of their programming because the innovation lab allows them to source, seek, and give sight through the books they curate. 

“Collecting, implementing, and selecting materials that speak to the entire community, not just a segment,” she said. 

The group's push follows similar steps being taken by the state to improve childhood literacy. Ohio was awarded a $60 million Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education in October. 

Learning Through Art was also granted admission into the World Literacy Summit in the UK for the second time to help grow their global initiatives.