By GREG STANTON
Whether you’re a parent or caregiver, we all want the best for our
kids. Part of that is making sure they have the reading skills to
succeed in school and in life.
That can start with Read on Phoenix at your Phoenix library.
Together, we can ensure that every child in Phoenix is reading by the
third grade. It’s critical to the future of our kids and our community.
Studies show that if kids aren’t reading at grade level by the time
they finish third grade, they are more likely to continue struggling,
less likely to graduate high school and will not meet the expectations
of the 21st-century workforce.
I’m proud to work with Councilman Daniel Valenzuela on Read on
Phoenix, which engages parents, businesses and the community to improve
third-grade reading proficiency through school readiness, summer
learning opportunities, after-school literacy and volunteerism.
Thanks to partners like the Valley of the Sun United Way, Read on
Arizona, the Phoenix Public Library and other city departments, we are
targeting literacy resources to the highest-need communities in our
city.
Right now, I’m challenging everyone — kids and adults — to
collectively read 100,000 books over the summer with my 100,000 Book
Challenge as part of Read on Phoenix. As a bonus, the Diamondbacks are
throwing in ticket vouchers to get more of you reading as part of the
challenge. Also, coming in October, we’ll launch a library-card drive
with the goal to get 20,000 parents and kids signed up for library
cards.
As part of this initiative, Ready to Read workshops and Family
Literacy Nights at the library will give you more early-reading tools
and help your children continue reading in school. After-school programs
will also focus on family literacy and getting kids to read outside of
class.
And if you love volunteering, I encourage you to get involved in the
Million Minute Volunteer Reading Challenge sponsored by the Valley of
the Sun United Way to track the time adults spend reading to young
children. The Teen Volunteer Program will also enlist 400 teen library
volunteers over the summer to create reading programs and increase
participation in library events.
Check out all of these great events, resources and much more at readonphoenix.phoenixpubliclibrary.org.
Read on Phoenix is more than a program. It’s a commitment to rethink
literacy and education to make sure every child in this city is reading
by third grade. It’s a critical mission and the only way to build a
strong future economy.
http://www.azcentral.com/insiders/phoenixeditorials/2013/06/17/crack-a-book-in-fact-100000-of-them-this-summer/
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