For greater than 20 years, Altering Younger Youngsters’s Lives By way of Training (CYCLE) has tied literacy progress to a strong incentive: A baby’s first bicycle.
In December 2025, the group reached a serious milestone, assembling and distributing its 200,000th bike to college students who met individualized studying objectives in Title I elementary colleges.
Greater than 8,000 bicycles had been delivered to elementary colleges throughout Better Houston in December as rewards for his or her college students’ studying capabilities.
Every bike represents a contract fulfilled.
“We aren’t simply making a gift of bikes,” mentioned Philip Schneidau, president of CYCLE’s board of administrators. “It sits of their contract. We use that expression. We award these youngsters and it additionally teaches them a lesson about how exhausting work has rewards.”
How the “earn-a-bike” mannequin works
CYCLE companions with Title I colleges serving predominantly low-income households, focusing completely on second-grade college students, a crucial 12 months for studying improvement.
“Youngsters who attain fourth grade with out with the ability to learn proficiently usually tend to drop out of highschool, decreasing their incomes potential and possibilities for fulfillment,” states the Annie E. Casey Basis.
In the beginning of the autumn semester, college students signal a literacy contract, co-signed by their dad and mom, committing to satisfy individualized studying enchancment objectives set by their academics.
“It’s not about making A’s or B’s,” Schneidau mentioned. “It’s about bettering literacy. Our main consideration is bettering literacy in Title I colleges.”
Lecturers decide every little one’s progress goal based mostly on state testing measures, recognizing that college students begin at completely different ranges of proficiency. For some, the objective could also be a small level enhance. For others, it might be far bigger.
Rebecca Roberts, CYCLE’s govt director, mentioned many college students enter second grade studying effectively under grade degree. To her, the 200,000 bikes milestone means 200,000 college students can now learn higher.
“They’re extra literate,” Roberts mentioned. “We’ve got college students who come into second grade, they usually’re at a pre-kindergarten degree of literacy. That’s by means of no fault of their very own. They may very well be new immigrants, kids who’ve moved so much…they simply preserve lacking.”
Roberts emphasised that if kids don’t grasp the mechanics of studying by the tip of second grade, the hole widens quickly in later years.
“After second grade, you’re studying methods to learn. In third grade, you’re studying to study,” she added.
Motivation that sticks
CYCLE reinforces the objective with a visible reminder. Early within the college 12 months, the group hosts a pep rally and leaves a bicycle on show within the college cafeteria or second-grade pod.
“They get to see it daily,” Schneidau mentioned. “Lecturers prefer it as a result of it provides them one thing to inspire the youngsters through the fall semester. If somebody’s a little bit lagging behind or not fairly maintaining, you possibly can dangle this bike in entrance of them.”
Habits and attendance additionally issue into eligibility. Even sturdy readers can lose their likelihood if the conduct expectations should not met.
“You can be the neatest little one on this college,” Roberts mentioned. “You’re in second grade and you possibly can be studying at a fifth-grade degree. In case you have unsatisfactory or wants enchancment, you gained’t get it [the bike]…It is a tradition of kindness and reward.”
Measurable outcomes
CYCLE’s affect is mirrored in efficiency knowledge. Throughout taking part colleges, the proportion of scholars studying at or above grade degree has greater than doubled, from 21% at the beginning of the semester to 46.5% by the semester’s finish, in accordance with the group.
At one accomplice college, the variety of college students studying under grade degree dropped by 66% in a single semester.
Schneidau cautions that CYCLE is just not the only real driver of enchancment, however slightly a part of a broader partnership.
“It’s a partnership with the faculties the place they acknowledge they want some assist in motivating these youngsters in literacy,” Schneidau mentioned. “We’re not the one factor, however we predict we’re an element within the enchancment that goes on versus the faculties that don’t take part.”
Demand has grown as outcomes unfold. Colleges contact CYCLE instantly and the group maintains a ready listing of campuses hoping to take part.
“We do 85 colleges. There’s most likely one other 20 we may go to,” he added. “We simply want extra funds to do it. We’re doing fairly good, doing 8-10,000 bikes per 12 months, which seems like so much. However should you do 100 bikes per college, second grade solely, and we’re doing 85 colleges. That’s 8,500 bikes.”
A large volunteer operation
The logistics behind this system are simply as huge. Throughout peak construct weekends, as many as 500 volunteers assemble bicycles in shifts. Every bike passes by means of a number of stations: Meeting, high quality management and air compression, earlier than being stacked for supply.
“We’ve acquired it all the way down to a fairly well-organized science,” Schneidau defined. “It does get hectic.”
Volunteers come from throughout the area, together with long-time members like Angela Bryant, a member of the Nationwide Society of Black Engineers and worker at IHI Energy Providers, who has volunteered with CYCLE since 2010.
“Watching youngsters earn their bikes…it’s so rewarding,” Bryant mentioned, whereas assembling a motorbike. “It’s a worthy trigger.”
Others, like Nancy Bond, return due to this system’s mission.
“They do good work,” Bond mentioned. “It’s one thing I really like doing.”
Many volunteers are positioned in specialised roles over time. Wayne Herbert, who started volunteering in 2013, now oversees tire inflation.
“I constructed nearly 400 bikes,” Herbert mentioned. “Now they put me on this.”
Company help and funding challenges
CYCLE distributes as much as 10,000 bikes yearly, with every bike-and-helmet set costing about $100, bringing yearly working must roughly one million {dollars}.
Funding comes from a mixture of company builds, particular person donations, grants and annual fundraising occasions just like the Bicycle Ball and a CYCLE Golf Event.
Firms usually mix philanthropy with team-building workouts. Some firms donate tens of 1000’s of {dollars} whereas sending workers to assemble bikes on-site.
Regardless of the success, rising prices and post-pandemic provide challenges stay ongoing considerations.
“Our prices was $70 to $75 per bike,” Schneidau mentioned. “Now we’re at $100. The largest factor is about elevating cash so we will do extra colleges.”
