Muncie after-school program focuses on improving students’ reading skills

Indiana recently recorded its “largest-ever single-year increase” in student literacy rates, according to the 2024-25 IRead results from the Indiana State Board of Education — and an after-school program in Muncie is continuing to add to that statistic.

MuncieP3 (MP3) is an after-school and summertime program at Longfellow Elementary School, specializing in improving students’ reading and literacy skills.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Indiana’s literacy rates declined every year, with the pandemic “exacerbating” students’ literacy scores, according to data from Indiana’s IRead results. In response to this, the state has made “historic investments” in helping more students read, according to the Indiana Board of Education.

MP3 is one of those investments.

“The overall goal is to make sure that our students are reading and reading proficiently by third grade,” said program coordinator and director of the MuncieP3, Michael Long.

Long has been working as MP3’s director for 10 years, but before that, he worked as the assistant director for two years. The program itself is under Ball State University’s Early Childhood, Youth and Family Studies Department, allowing students from the university to be student aides for the program.

The program initially began after Ball State professor of early childhood, youth and family studies, Dr. Eva Zygmunt, wanted to start an immersive learning class in the community of Whitely, a neighborhood in Muncie.

In 2009, a “Mom’s Night Out” event was hosted by the university’s early childhood, youth and family studies department at Roy C. Buley Community Center. At the gathering, the department asked parents about their “hopes and dreams” for their children, Zygmunt said via email.

In response, parents said they valued education and wanted after-school and summer enrichment opportunities for their children to keep them on track academically. Zygmunt officially made the decision to move forward with the program after hearing this feedback, as several of the parents said they wanted their children to be taught by “trusted community members and teachers.”

Two weeks after the program was in development, the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) issued requests for funding new programs through the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants, with grants estimated at $900,000 every four years. Long explained that these grants are very competitive, and only 25 to 30 programs receive funding after applying.

MP3 received a grant from the IDOE, allowing MP3 to begin the four-year grant cycle. Currently, the program is entering its fourth grant cycle, approaching 16 years in operation.

“[MP3] was birthed out of the need of the community, and right after that, the funding came,” Long said.

The program applied for its four-year grant cycle in February 2025, but was rescinded in March due to President Donald Trump dismantling the DOE, which cut funding to after-school programs.

“It has been almost a year, and the funding is still not approved,” Long said via email.

MP3 is still waiting for a decision from the DOE on whether grant money is still available in the department’s budget. Once the DOE knows the amount of funding available, Long said it will reopen applications for its grant program.

In the meantime, MP3 is talking with local foundations about possible funding, as well as continuing to explore state and federal funding to keep the program operating.

Long emphasized how the families are an important part of the children’s success with MP3. He said that, for a child to be enrolled in the program, the family would need to be interviewed to determine what works best or “fits” well for either the family or the child.

But ultimately, the students who stay all four years in MP3 become the “most successful,” Long claims, saying “there is no program in the state of Indiana like what we do.”

Recently, third graders IRead scores in the state of Indiana have improved from 2024-25, according to the 2024-25 IRead results. Students’ literacy data grew from 2023-24 from 82.5 to 87.3 percent, representing 73,500 third graders out of 84,163 in the state.

Success like this is what pushed curriculum coordinator Faith Serf to be part of the after-school program, having experienced how much the program helped her son.

“I knew I wanted to be a part of this community, because they were really embracing not only the student, they were embracing the families as well,” Serf said. “It was a very welcoming environment.”

First-grade co-teacher for MP3, Tyana Isomi, also experienced watching her own children go through the program. Both Isomi’s daughter and son attended MP3, and while her daughter was a quick learner, her son had an IEP, or an Individualized Education Program, and struggled academically.

Despite these challenges, her son received support from those around him. He made friends from the start of the program until the very end, and is still friends with them now as a sophomore in high school.

“His group of friends just took care of him,” Isomi said.

Once students are done with their normal school day, they can take a “brain break” to transition to the after school program. During this time, Serf said that students receive a small meal or snack to prepare them to learn.

Serf said students also have the opportunity to use a digital program called Lexia, a computer-assisted reading and literacy program that is developed to support student reading, writing and language arts skills, with a “game approach” to its learning.

“We don’t look like a school day program. However, we are using the standards and the content, and we refined it so that it looks more engaging,” she said.

First-grade aide and second-year Ball State student Mackenna Johnson said they give students “wiggle breaks” to let them get all their “talkativeness out.”

Johnson explained that understanding a student’s individual needs makes it “easier for them to learn from [staff]” by recognizing when they are hungry or simply need to move around. She continued by saying that if a student’s “mind is not in the right place,” then they will not be able to learn appropriately.

Along with meeting the students’ needs, Isomi said the relationship with the student is a “big part” of the program.

Having grown up in Muncie herself, she knows the families and children who are part of MP3. Isomi explained how having these connections benefits the community in addressing any challenges that may arise.

Isomi also described the program as having “good” communication with the families and being able to discuss problems with parents, describing the environment as “family.”

“Longfellow [Elementary] itself is family,” Isomi said. “It’s easy to do here, because that’s just how it’s always been.”

Serf said she wants MP3 students to know they are valuable and that they have something to offer. She wants them to “keep their head up” and look for others who will continue to support them after their time with MP3 is over.

“Find their next Faith [Serf], find their next Mackenna [Johnson], find their next Ty[ana Isomi] out there in the world. Because they’re out there. There’s a lot of them out there, but if we can equip them to do that, then I feel I’m at peace,” Serf said.

Contact Linnea Sundquist via email at linnea.sundquist@bsu.edu.

This article is republished as part of a collaborative content-sharing agreement between Ball State Unified Media and Indiana Public Radio, established to expand access to high-quality journalism and to better inform and serve the public through trusted, in-depth reporting.