Helps Education Fund
Staff Spotlights
Helps Education Fund is incredibly proud of our dedicated staff members who work tirelessly to support families, educators, and students of all ages. We began as an all-volunteer organization, and have now grown to represent more than 40 full and part-time individuals. We are thrilled to spotlight our outstanding team members and the ways they work to support our programs and deliver high-quality, evidence-based interventions. Please read below to learn more about our team!
Staff Spotlight: Kim Perkins
Director of In-School Programs, Charlotte
For our first Staff Spotlight, we are thrilled to highlight the work of Kim Perkins, Director of In-School Programs in Charlotte. As Director of In-School Programs Kim oversees program implementation and supports the team in maintaining high levels of fidelity while increasing the number of students supported throughout the region.
When Kim joined in 2019, she was an instrumental part of establishing the infrastructure for our HELPS (Helping Early Literacy with Practice Strategies) program in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). Since that initial year, and despite significant challenges during the pandemic, our team more than doubled the number of individuals served annually in CMS. Since then, each school year represented significant growth, with 568 CMS students receiving HELPS tutoring in the 2020-2021 school year, and 870 CMS students receiving tutoring during the 2021-2022 school year.
When asked which accomplishment she was most proud of throughout her time with Helps Education Fund, Kim shared how last year (school year 2021-2022) was a highlight. Not only did the team greatly increase the number of students served (870 CMS elementary school students in grades 1-5), but the students who received tutoring had the highest rate of exceeding national expectations in reading fluency. Of the students who received HELPS in CMS, more than 70% exceeded expectations in reading fluency. This impact for reading fluency is particularly notable because one recent study found that the typical evidence-based literacy program shows significant improvement for only 3-14% of students who receive the program (see here for more details: https://bit.ly/EDNC_RCreview.)