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Expanding Access to Quality
Schools for Every Child
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Together, We Expand Access To Schools
Where Students Thrive.
READY invests in schools, supports educators, and empowers families to increase access to quality schools that deliver strong academic outcomes, supportive learning environments, and pathways to lifelong success.
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Dear Supporters
Introducing the READY Action Fund
This October marks the official launch of the READY Action Fund and a new opportunity to build community power for public education in Rochester.
The READY Action Fund is dedicated to developing leaders, mobilizing communities, and advancing policies that strengthen public education and expand access to high-quality schools across Rochester.
Through advocacy, civic engagement, and electoral action, we work to ensure that families and communities most impacted by education decisions have a meaningful voice in shaping those decisions.
Last month, we shared why this organization matters. This month, we’re putting that vision into action. Our launch creates opportunities for supporters and funding partners to invest in community leadership, informed participation, and sustained advocacy for Rochester’s students and families.
Visit the READY Action Fund website and explore the screenshots below to learn more about our policy priorities, advocacy efforts, and candidate endorsements.
Interested in staying informed or want to get engaged? Help shape the future of public education in Rochester.
Learn about the decisions affecting Rochester’s schools and opportunities to make your voice heard.
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POWER Lab
POWER Lab Session 9
Session 9: nearing the end of the journey and heading toward graduation.
What’s in the Cards for Rochester’s Children?
The READY Power Lab’s inaugural cohort wrapped up Session 9 with a watch party at the READY office, tuning in to the Rochester Board of Education’s Speakers Forum and Charter School Hearings.
With Bingo cards in hand, participants listened closely to the perspectives shared by advocates, families, and school leaders. The activity opened up a bigger conversation: What’s in the cards for Rochester’s children—and how can parents help shape the hand they’re dealt?
Together, we reflected on what we heard, the changes speakers called for, and what advocacy and community mobilizing can look like in practice. We listened to what parents in Rochester advocate for children and the schools that help improve our children's future.
Reflecting on her grandson’s experience at Genesee Community Charter School, Yolanda Jones shared: “As he grew up, not only did they help cultivate him and teach him, taught him how to be a leader, how to be able to speak without having any kind of fear.”
Yolanda Jones, Genesee Community Charter School parent
This is the work of the READY Power Lab: supporting parents as they deepen their understanding of education systems, examine how decisions are made, and prepare to activate the broader community. Session 9 connected that learning to a public meeting where participants could observe those systems in action and consider how to engage.
The evening offered a concrete example of what investing in parent leadership makes possible: dedicated time, accessible tools, and space for families to learn together and prepare for collective action.
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Explore the evening and the work behind it:
Take a look at the photos and Bingo cards for a glimpse of an evening of community, learning, and possibility.
Speaker Forum Bingo
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READY Youth Votes
Youth Voter Registration
Over the past two months, READY has engaged students at All City High and East High School to learn how their voices can shape their communities through our Fall 2026 youth voter registration campaign in partnership with EmpowerED Solutions.
We hosted two nonpartisan, hour-long sessions for students ages 16 and 17 at All City High School on September 23 and East High School on October 7. Students explored how local government decisions affect school funding, bus routes, summer jobs, and neighborhood safety. They also unpacked common voting myths, asked questions, and learned about New York’s voter pre-registration process.
Interactive activities—including “Stand Up If This Is You” and “Your Path to the Ballot”—connected civic participation to students’ everyday lives and helped them identify a step they could take toward future participation.
Across both sessions, one in three participants completed registration forms. One additional student partially completed a form. The forms were submitted to the Monroe County Board of Elections for processing.
For these young people, pre-registration is an early step toward voting at 18. For READY, these sessions mark a promising start to sustained youth civic engagement: creating opportunities for students to understand the decisions that affect them and prepare to help shape those decisions.
View READY Youth Votes on Instagram →
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Resources We Recommend
What We’re Reading This Month
Each month, READY shares resources, reports, and articles that help our community better understand education policy, school quality, family access, and the systems shaping student opportunity.
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The many barriers young adults must overcome to vote: A research-based reporting guide
This guide from SciLine offers insights, tips, and story ideas to help journalists report on Generation Z’s voting habits.
Read more →
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Opinion: Beyond the Ballot: What civic engagement looks like before age 18
Public charter schools are increasingly becoming part of both the broader national conversation about education policy as well as the local urban scene in the United States.
Read more →
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In D.C. Schools, How the Science of Reading Offers a Blueprint for Math
Kline: $20M Capital Math Collective will give advanced training to 1,000 teachers, expand coaching, engage families & provide tutoring to 6,000 kids.
Read more →
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READY Reminders
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Applications Open
READY Parent ACTION Academy
We’re bringing the READY Parent ACTION Academy to two schools: BRICK Rochester Academy (Cohort 6A) and Innova Girls Academy Charter School (Cohort 6B)!
Parents already know what they want for their children. The Academy helps them turn those hopes, questions, and experiences into action. Together, we’ll explore how Rochester’s education system works, what school data tells us, how funding decisions are made, and who has the power to make changes.
Parents and caregivers will practice sharing their stories, advocating for their children, and organizing with other families. This is a space to ask questions, build relationships, and grow the confidence to speak up at a school meeting, connect with an elected official, or bring parents together around an issue that matters.
Help us share this opportunity with families at both schools! Pass along the appropriate application below and personally encourage parents and caregivers who would benefit.
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BRICK Rochester Academy — Cohort 6A
Applications due: November 2, 2026
Short phone screens for selected parents: By November 4, 2026
First in-person meeting: November 10, 2026
Apply for Cohort 6A →
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Innova Girls Academy — Cohort 6B
Applications due: November 3, 2026
Short phone screens for selected parents: By November 6, 2026
First in-person meeting: November 12, 2026
Apply for Cohort 6B →
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Sincerely,
Shanai Lee
Shanai Lee, MBA, EdD
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
READY, Inc.
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Stay Connected
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READY, Inc. | 250 East Main Street, Suite 2500 | Rochester, NY 14604
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