Research indicates that a child’s reading level by the third grade has a direct impact on future success (i.e., academics, dropout rates, incarceration, poverty). In addition, it has been proven that there is only one book for every 300 children in low-income neighborhoods. To help raise reading levels and strengthen the students’ love of reading, we teamed up with 70 volunteers to celebrate National Read Aloud Month from February 17th through March 6th.
Read Aloud Month is a national campaign focused on spending just 15 minutes a day reading to or with a child. 1,298 children in 58 classrooms participated this year as our volunteers and staff delivered 30-minute reading sessions each week in 11 of our partner schools within HISD. As a special treat, at the end of the Read Aloud celebration, we distributed 1,585 books to the children to help them build their home libraries.
Special thanks to the following Read Aloud Month sponsors who helped purchase books for the students: Ryan Epstein with Berkadia, Frost Bank, and Paula McHam with Cigna.
Not only are we grateful to our volunteers and sponsors for contributing to the success of Read Aloud Month, but we would also like to extend our sincerest gratitude to our 250 volunteers who have dedicated over 1,000 service hours so far this school year, worth $25,000 in value for our organization.
If you are interested in volunteering, please contact our Community Relations Manager, Ashley Danna, at ashley@literacynowhouston.org.
