WEA Read Across America Guest Column submitted to the Worthington News
by Scott DiMauro
March 2, 2005
"The more that you read, the more things that you'll know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." So wrote Dr. Seuss, whose birthday is commemorated today. Each year on this date, as part of its annual "Read Across America" celebration, the National Education Association calls for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult. On behalf of the professional educators of the Worthington Schools, I invite you to join us in this effort.
Initially created as a one-day event to celebrate reading on Dr. Seuss' birthday, March 2, NEA's Read Across America program has grown into a nationwide initiative that promotes reading every day. Dr. Seuss may have said it best, but research demonstrates the importance of reading as the foundation of all learning, and the key to becoming a good reader is getting off to an early start.
Early development of literacy is critical to the long-term success of children in school. This is the driving motivation in the creation of Worthington's all-day kindergarten program, known as K+. As the progress of K+ graduates has been monitored over the first few years of the program, reading assessment scores show that the extra time and intensive instruction in this first year of school pays huge dividends as those students continue on to higher grade levels.
As valuable as school-based reading initiatives are, the key to a child's success begins at home. If you've ever shared a book with a child, you know the joy and excitement this small but meaningful act can bring. But, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, since 1993 only 53 to 58 percent of children ages three to five received this joy on a daily basis.
Together, we can all do better to ensure that every child starts school ready to learn and has the building blocks in place for long-term success in school and in life. According to the National Center for Family Literacy, preschool aged children who are read to three or more times a week are nearly twice as likely as other children to show three or more skills associated with emerging literacy. If you are the parent, grandparent, relative or friend of young children, you can make a difference by reading with them on a regular basis from the time they are old enough to sit in your lap.
Here are just a few ways to help your child learn to read at home:
. Point out printed words in your child's everyday life and help build recognition of familiar words.
. Visit the public library and let your child choose books that she likes.
. When reading a story together, ask questions to connect the story to your child's life.
. Limit your child's television watching, being sure not to use the TV as a babysitter.
. Get caught reading yourself. Let your child see how you enjoy reading, and he will be more likely to want to follow your example.
Even if you don't have a young child at home, you can make a difference by contributing to community literacy efforts like WEA's annual Read Across America book drive for the Children's Hospital Reach Out and Read Program. Over the past six years, Association members, students and friends have donated over 5,000 books to children who might not otherwise have them. The program allows Children's Hospital clinic physicians to provide a new book to a child at every visit of a patient aged five and under. We are proud to be a part of this continuing partnership between the medical and educational communities to promote early literacy for all children. (If you'd like to donate a new preschool book, please call 883-3058 or drop it off in care of the WEA at 200 E. Wilson Bridge Rd. by March 18.)
We are also celebrating Read Across America by inviting guests into our elementary classrooms throughout the week to share their own joy of reading with our students. Reading with children shouldn't end when they enter school. Children of all ages need the encouragement of reading with adults wherever and whenever they can get their hands on books.
As we join citizens across the country in celebrating Read Across America today, let's renew a pledge together to ensure that all children - every day - have adults in their lives who care enough to help them read.