Imagine you live in a home where you don't see your parents or anyone else doing much reading. Imagine you don't have a book at home to look at. Imagine that reading for you is all about school, and not in a good way. For too many children, this is not something to imagine at all, it is part of every day life. Studies show that if children are not comfortable and reading at grade level by Grade 3, they are at high risk of continuing to struggle and eventually dropping out of school. They will never get a good job, they will never know what they might have become, and they will never know the endless possibilities that come from being able to read. Project READ was designed to give children a happy, positive experience with books and with reading before it is too late. When children attend Project READ, they sit in a group in their classroom with a volunteer who comes once or twice a month to read to them. We use a "diaologic reading" approach, that encourages discussion during and after the story. The reading is a participatory experience. When the session is over, the book is donated to the classroom to help build a classroom library--and to give the children a chance to look at the book again. Since 1997, Project READ has traveled the world, gone to the rainforest, and explored other cultures. We have talked about time zones, and weather conditions, and what to "pack" when we go. We have explored relationships between older people and younger people. And we have had fun with rhyming and repeating words. If you would like to volunteer to be a classroom reader, or if you are a teacher who would like a reader to visit, please call Barbara June at 452-8670. Working together, we can help children see the possibilities that come with reading.

(845) 452-8670 Ask for Barbara June