“You keep on, you keep trying, you keep doing, and it will open up a whole other world for you if you read a story and understand it," said Nelson.

Dajah’s mother, Florita Staton, is grateful for the help from Experience Corps.

“Without them, I don’t know where she would be. Maybe she’d still be behind from where she is," said Staton.

The adult literacy rate in the United States is more than 97 percent, but a national reading test indicates that almost 40 percent of 7 and 8-year-olds do not have basic reading skills. Studies have shown that those children are more likely to drop out of school eventually. And children from low-income families are even more likely to leave.

Sydney Gibson doesn’t want that to happen to the students he tutors, including 8-year-old Damoni Rodgers.

“I’m going to try to make sure that they leave by the end of the day knowing a little more than they came in with," said Gibson.

Damoni, who has trouble concentrating, says her reading has improved since she started working with Gibson.

“And if I don’t get it right, he just says, ‘Next time... You tried your best, though,'" said Damoni.

Sandy Morgan says most of the students who work with Experience Corps tutors improve their reading by 60 percent.

"I have seen my little girl’s reading improve tremendously," said Morgan. "Not only does she read accurately but now her speed has come up, so now she’s reading and moving along progressively.”