Tara, Kaya! Program®
Our most intensive student intervention for functional literacy and socioemotional skills, designed to accelerate foundational learning and strengthen confidence among vulnerable learners — through a model that schools can adopt and replicate.
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Building strong foundations for learning
Many learners move through school without the reading, numeracy, and confidence they need to keep up. TFP's Tara, Kaya! Program® (TKP) helps students strengthen these foundations early so they can participate more fully in class, keep progressing, and stay engaged in learning.
Outcomes that stay strong as the program expands
In S.Y. 2024 to 2025, TKP expanded student reach by 90% while keeping outcomes strong. Among participating students, reading skills improved by 42% and numeracy improved by 59%. Students also reported stronger confidence, greater class participation, and better ability to manage their own learning.
Who TKP supports best
TKP is most effective for learners who need structured support to strengthen foundational skills, including students who are behind grade level in reading or numeracy and those who have disengaged after repeated difficulty in school.
Evidence from TKP at scale
In TKP’s first full-scale run, 1,488 students participated. Most students stayed engaged through the full program and completed the assessments, and nearly all who completed showed improvement from baseline to endline.
Understanding the learning challenge
91%
of children at late primary age are not proficient in reading
16%
of Filipino students reached at least Level 2 proficiency in mathematics in PISA 2022
90%
estimated learning deprivation by the end of primary age
Maico’s journey in TKP reminds us: when students are given space to share their realities, supported to build agency, and trusted to lead in small ways, they begin to rebuild. They learn. And they start to be at the forefront of their own growth.
Student Spotlight
At 12 years old, Maico Batequin participated in the Tara, Kaya! Program® while still building foundational reading skills after moving between homes and schools. Some days, family hardship made it difficult to attend regularly, and gaps in learning accumulated over time.
Even with the discomfort of being older than many classmates, he kept showing up. During TKP sessions, he stayed focused and developed his own reading strategies, sounding out words slowly, self-correcting mid-sentence, and tracking vowel sounds with his fingers.
Over time, he made steady progress, gained confidence, and began to find his place socially.