READING TO KIDS

The goals of Reading to Kids are as follows:

• To promote improved reading and learning skills in elementary school children
• To develop the library resources of participating schools through book donations
• To furnish children with books for their homes
• To provide enriching and rewarding volunteering opportunities
• To bring the successful "reading club" program to other elementary schools

The primary goal of Reading to Kids is to promote improved reading and learning skills in elementary school children--skills that may help lead to a more successful future for the children who participate.

Many students living near downtown Los Angeles reside in a densely populated area with numerous apartment and commercial buildings and little or no access to safe recreational areas. Many of the children in this area are from low income families, are recent immigrants to the country, are limited-English proficient, and have room for substantial improvement in their reading test scores. Helping these students is our highest priority.

By bringing volunteers, ranging from college students to young professionals to retirees, into neighborhood schools to read to these children once a month, Reading to Kids aims to help these children associate reading with pleasure and to promote the value of education and literacy. Furthering these goals are parent workshops in which teachers provide training to the parents of the attending children on how to continue the benefits of the reading club at home.

Reading to Kids also strives to develop the library resources of participating schools through book donations. When books are purchased for use at the reading clubs, they are donated to the schools' libraries so that the children (and future generations of children) may continue to enjoy literary works that have been hand-selected by the schools' teachers. Furthermore, at the conclusion of each reading club, the children are provided with free "prize" books as a reward for their attendance. The goal is to furnish them with books for their homes that they and their siblings will continue to enjoy.

Another goal of Reading to Kids is to provide an enriching and rewarding volunteering opportunity to upstanding community members who may have limited time to give, but who sincerely wish to give to the community and touch the lives of others. The monthly reading clubs do not require a major commitment--volunteers can choose to volunteer at a reading club whenever their schedules permit.

Finally, Reading to Kids is working to bring the successful "Reading Club" program to other elementary schools in downtown Los Angeles. The program continues to succeed because of the generous support of foundations, corporations, schools, educators, and individuals and because of the overwhelming enthusiasm of the participating parents, children, teachers, and volunteers.

Reading to Kids is a grassroots organization dedicated to inspiring underserved children with a love of reading, thereby enriching their lives and opportunities for success in the future.

At our monthly reading clubs, pairs of volunteers read aloud to small groups of children, while their parents receive training on how to encourage their children to read at home. Kids, parents, teachers, and school libraries receive book donations at the end of the reading clubs. These are important donations, as 60 percent of low-income homes do not have age-appropriate reading materials for children.

Since its inception in 1999, Reading to Kids has given more than 180,000 prize books to children who attend the reading clubs, donated more than 32,000 hardcover books to school libraries, and our volunteers have spent more than 220,000 hours reading to kids.