Read to Me Project helps under-served children achieve kindergarten readiness and a lifetime of literacy by empowering school age brothers and sisters to read to their young siblings at home. We also raise public awareness about the literacy crisis and the need for language development and pre-reading skills during a child's first five years of life.
Read to Me Project (RtMP) is the prevention-based solution to low literacy plaguing under-privileged children. Research shows that students struggling with reading by the 3rd grade are at a significantly higher risk of dropping out of school. RtMP coaches students in 4th to 6th grades on the "9 Best Ways to Read to Young Children." Ways that develop essential early literacy knowledge that is crucial for the preschoolers at home to learn how to read when they begin school. This year 42% of participating students were the sole readers to the little ones in their households.
Early literacy is the foundation for a child's educational success and overall well-being. In fact, national studies indicate that early literacy can influence a lifetime of better health. Through the students, parents, teen parents, and childcare providers RtMP engages with, little ones in low literate families are given an equitable start in school.
"I’ve witnessed how Read to Me Project provides wonderful opportunities to practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing by offering students choice in the book content they checked out and were coached on reading with expression to their youngest brothers and sisters. Additionally, students looked forward to spending quality time with younger siblings each day before and after school. These simple routines provided opportunities for nurturing the children's curiosity while supporting a strong foundation of creativity, imagination, and plenty of time to "play" with languages before formally being introduced to academic vocabulary in school. Furthermore, older siblings shared how they appreciated opportunities to model good reading habits and enjoyed being role models for their family members. I'm so grateful for the Read to Me Project and honored to be a part of this wonderful program's lasting legacy."
- William Franzell
