United Through Reading

United Through Reading (UTR) strives continuously to provide:
- access to the program for military members of all service branches regardless of rank or duty status and no matter where their duty takes them
- access to services for Veterans and their families where ever they may live
- free children's books to promote read-aloud routines in military households
- video-recorded stories from service members to beloved children so they can share storytime despite physical separation
• this essential military family support program to military members who may be serving in logistically challenging environments in a cost-efficient manner

United Through Reading focuses on these goals:
1. Ease the stress of separation for military members, children, and their caregivers (typically military spouses)
2. Boost morale for all participating family members
3. Strengthen family connections during times of separation
3. Support literacy development in an at-risk population of children. Military children are considered emotionally and academically at-risk due to the stress caused by repeated military duty-related family separations, interruptions in family routines, and academic disruptions caused by frequent military relocation. The COVID-19 environment compounds these risk factors.

United Through Reading's program delivery is embedded in the military community, multimodal, mobile, and can reach military members wherever they serve
•The United Through Reading App provides safe and secure program access anytime, anywhere
•Our Community Story Station Events provide our services to military and Veteran families throughout the United States as well as at military family-focused events
•Our Walk-In Story Stations [video-recording sites] embed in military units and in locations where military and Veteran families seek services to provide recordings for use during the frequent changes in military duty schedules and are mobile enough to deploy with units
•United Through Reading program partners help us get new, high-quality children's books into military households and provide video recordings for service members and veterans in venues and at events where military families seek services

United Through Reading has been solely focused on providing the read-aloud experience for military families for more than 35 years! Our Program Managers are assigned to specific Military Branches of Service, and our Program Assistants concentrate on delivering services in specific geographic locations or for special populations. They are tasked with expanding program access within their areas of responsibility and building alliances and partnerships that meet service members' unique needs within their assigned branches, locations, or populations. The United Through Reading App is available anytime, anywhere. Our ability to provide multiple program access points allows United Through Reading to support military members and veterans in ways that work for the entire military community, even during a pandemic!

More than 3.3 million military members, veterans, caregivers (typically spouses), and children have benefitted from United Through Reading (UTR) since our founding in 1989.

Independent research was conducted in 2019 on the impact of program participation. Research participants reported the many benefits of participating in United Through Reading.
100% indicated that United Through Reading improved their family’s morale during times of separation
100% of military members reported the program improved their personal morale
100% reported that children, regardless of age, enjoyed watching the UTR video recordings
100% reported that children who were old enough to do so asked to watch their UTR recordings
98% reported that United Through Reading is a critical family readiness and resiliency tool
97% of caregivers reported participating in the program improved their personal morale
97% of families reported having UTR recordings made their deployments or separations easier
95% of families felt that UTR reduced stress and anxiety in their child(ren)
93% reported program participation strengthened family bonds
90% reported that children’s love of reading increased since receiving and watching the UTR video-recordings
88% felt their children’s behavior was improved after participating in the program
88% reported program participation increased family connectedness
86% of caregivers felt that UTR reduced caregiver stress
84% reported their children’s language and literacy skills improved
83% of military members reported stress reduction through making UTR recordings
83% reported UTR benefited families by keeping the military member as part of the family routine
80% reported their children’s overall academic development/performance improved after participating in the UTR program
72% of families felt that UTR helped their child recognize their military parent when they returned home
71% of participants reported the program positively impacted their child(ren)’s interest in STEM Topics
70% of military members reported the use of the program as a benefit to their personal readiness
69% of the families used their video recordings multiple times a week