Oh the Places You’ll Go!
I’m a reader. I love to read. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry; local, national, international; heavy, light, thick, thin—you name it, I read it. (Well, okay, I don’t read Regency Romances, but I do read graphic novels, so that sort of balances out.)
Photo By Rudy A. Girón
I was not an early reader. I wasn’t one of those kids that already knew how to read when I started kindergarten. But I do remember going to the library the summer after kindergarten and plopping myself down in front of the bookshelves filled with all the little-kid books and bringing home as many as I could carry. And I remember reading aloud at the dining room table while my mom ironed and helped me pronounce some of those crazy Dr. Seuss words.
My parents were very supportive of my reading. They let me buy endless books from the scholastic books catalog that we got in elementary school. I even remember some of the titles—Katie Kittenheart and Brighty of the Grand Canyon come to mind. (On the other hand, I also remember Mom telling me to go out and play with the other kids after I had spent two days straight sitting on the porch swing reading Lord of the Rings.)
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
– Dr. Seuss
He’s right. I went to college and then I went on to graduate school. I credit my love of learning to my love of reading. That’s why I’m so pleased that our United Way has a new goal area focused on helping kids read at grade level by grade three. We start earlier, of course, but grade three is critical because up until then, kids are still pretty much focused on learning to read. After third grade, that equation flips, and kids are reading to learn (although reading comprehension and vocabulary development continue to grow).
If you don’t know how to read by third grade, chances are you’ll fall further and further behind as you progress (or not) through school. But how do you get kids to read? Isn’t that the job of the schools? Well yes, it is, but families also play a critical role (see above). And the nonprofit sector can also pitch in and help. Through a variety of strategies, including sophisticated technology, one-on-one tutoring, and family involvement, we’re aiming to move the needle on reading. We even have a literacy project that works with kids in homeless shelters.
Here’s Meghan Barp, United Way’s Impact Manager working in the goal area of reading by third grade, to tell you a little bit more.
