A barber from Kutztown, Pennsylvania is trying to encourage kids to learn to read by paying them to read a book while he cuts their hair.
Barber Jon Escueta explained that he came up with this idea after noticing that the kids who came to his shop were so focused on their phones that they did not notice anything around them. That’s why he teamed up with three other barbers at City Cuts to start “Books by Kids,” which aims to combat illiteracy and promote self-confidence by paying kids $3 to read a book while they get a haircut.
“Our goal is for the kids to boost their confidence in front of others without fear of being judged,” Jon explained.
Jon initially tried out this idea with kids on a basketball team he coaches after noticing that they were having trouble communicating. Once he saw how much reading helped their communication skills, Jon decided to try out the program in his barbershop. Jon is hoping that this program and his own skills as a mentor will encourage the children in his community to become productive members of society.
City Cuts Barbershop in Kutztown, Pennsylvania
“Our goal is for kids to build their confidence by reading in front of others while getting a haircut. Plus they will receive $3 for reading while in the chair. About 75% of Adults fear Public Speaking.”
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Since news of Jon’s program went viral, books have been pouring into his shop from all over the world! Isahia Ventura, a seventh grader who participates in the reading program, said that he always wanted to just play around before.
“But now I just want to learn and get good grades,” he said.
Isahia’s father agreed, saying that his son used to be a D student, but is now getting As and Bs since he started coming to City Cuts.
“Here it’s more than a barbershop for him,” the proud father said. “He looks at these guys like big brothers.”
We applaud Jon for going above and beyond to help the young people in his community. Find out more about Jon’s mission in the video below.
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