By Tannistha Sinha
For more than two decades, Changing Young Children’s Lives Through Education (CYCLE) has tied literacy growth to a powerful incentive: A child’s first bicycle.
In December 2025, the organization reached a major milestone, assembling and distributing its 200,000th bike to students who met individualized reading goals in Title I elementary schools.
More than 8,000 bicycles were delivered to elementary schools across Greater Houston in December as rewards for their students’ reading capabilities.
Each bike represents a contract fulfilled.
“We are not just giving away bikes,” said Philip Schneidau, president of CYCLE’s board of directors. “It sits in their contract. We use that expression. We award these kids and it also teaches them a lesson about how hard work has rewards.”
How the “Earn-a-Bike” Model Works
CYCLE partners with Title I schools serving predominantly low-income families, focusing exclusively on second-grade students, a critical year for reading development.
“Children who reach fourth grade without being able to read proficiently are more likely to drop out of high school, reducing their earning potential and chances for success,” states the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
At the start of the fall semester, students sign a literacy contract, co-signed by their parents, committing to meet individualized reading improvement goals set by their teachers.
“It’s not about making A’s or B’s,” Schneidau said. “It’s about improving literacy. Our primary consideration is improving literacy in Title I schools.”
Teachers determine each child’s growth target based on state testing measures, recognizing that students start at different levels of proficiency. For some, the goal may be a small point increase. For others, it may be far larger.
Rebecca Roberts, CYCLE’s executive director, said many students enter second grade reading well below grade level. To her, the 200,000 bikes milestone means 200,000 students can now read better.
“They’re more literate,” Roberts said. “We have students who come into second grade, and they’re at a pre-kindergarten level of literacy. That’s through no fault of their own. They could be new immigrants, children who have moved a lot…they just keep missing.”
Roberts emphasized that if children do not master the mechanics of reading by the end of second grade, the gap widens rapidly in later years.
“After second grade, you’re learning how to read. In third grade, you are reading to learn,” she added.
Motivation That Sticks
CYCLE reinforces the goal with a visual reminder. Early in the school year, the organization hosts a pep rally and leaves a bicycle on display in the school cafeteria or second-grade pod.
“They get to see it every day,” Schneidau said. “Teachers like it because it gives them something to motivate the kids during the fall semester. If someone’s a little lagging behind or not quite keeping up, you can dangle this bike in front of them.”
Behavior and attendance also factor into eligibility. Even strong readers can lose their chance if the conduct expectations are not met.
“You could be the smartest child in this school,” Roberts said. “You are in second grade and you could be reading at a fifth-grade level. If you have unsatisfactory or needs improvement, you won’t get it [the bike]…This is a culture of kindness and reward.”
Measurable Results
CYCLE’s impact is reflected in performance data. Across participating schools, the percentage of students reading at or above grade level has more than doubled, from 21% at the start of the semester to 46.5% by the semester’s end, according to the organization.
At one partner school, the number of students reading below grade level dropped by 66% in a single semester.
Schneidau cautions that CYCLE is not the sole driver of improvement, but rather part of a broader partnership.
“It’s a partnership with the schools where they recognize they need some help in motivating these kids in literacy,” Schneidau said. “We’re not the only thing, but we think we’re a factor in the improvement that goes on versus the schools that do not participate.”
Demand has grown as results spread. Schools contact CYCLE directly and the organization maintains a waiting list of campuses hoping to participate.
“We do 85 schools. There’s probably another 20 we could go to,” he added. “We just need more funds to do it. We’re doing pretty good, doing 8-10,000 bikes per year, which sounds like a lot. But if you do a hundred bikes per school, second grade only, and we’re doing 85 schools. That’s 8,500 bikes.”
A Massive Volunteer Operation
The logistics behind the program are just as massive. During peak build weekends, as many as 500 volunteers assemble bicycles in shifts. Each bike passes through multiple stations: Assembly, quality control and air compression, before being stacked for delivery.
“We’ve got it down to a pretty well-organized science,” Schneidau explained. “It does get hectic.”
Volunteers come from across the region, including long-time participants like Angela Bryant, a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and employee at IHI Power Services, who has volunteered with CYCLE since 2010.
“Watching kids earn their bikes…it’s so rewarding,” Bryant said, while assembling a bike. “It’s a worthy cause.”
Others, like Nancy Bond, return because of the program’s mission.
“They do good work,” Bond said. “It’s something I love doing.”
Many volunteers are placed in specialized roles over time. Wayne Herbert, who began volunteering in 2013, now oversees tire inflation.
“I built almost 400 bikes,” Herbert said. “Now they put me on this.”
Corporate Support and Funding Challenges
CYCLE distributes up to 10,000 bikes annually, with each bike-and-helmet set costing about $100, bringing yearly operating needs to roughly a million dollars.
Funding comes from a mix of corporate builds, individual donations, grants and annual fundraising events like the Bicycle Ball and a CYCLE Golf Tournament.
Corporations often combine philanthropy with team-building exercises. Some companies donate tens of thousands of dollars while sending employees to assemble bikes on-site.
Despite the success, rising costs and post-pandemic supply challenges remain ongoing concerns.
“Our costs used to be $70 to $75 per bike,” Schneidau said. “Now we’re at $100. The biggest thing is about raising money so we can do more schools.”