Mary L. Cook Public Library launches the Parent and Community Awareness Program with Read Aloud 15 MINUTES - What would U.S. education look like if every child were read aloud to for 15 minutes every day? This unprecedented effort will . . .
unite diverse groups that touch the lives of children from birth to age 8 under its single, powerful message – Read Aloud 15 MINUTES. Every child. Every parent. Every day.
Read Aloud 15 MINUTES’ goal is to have every child being read aloud to by a parent or loved one for 15 minutes every day starting at birth. The decade-long 15 MINUTES Movement will be a massive public awareness effort, spearheaded by partners in cities throughout the nation that will rally grassroots support through local awareness efforts and community outreach.
“We want to change social norms,” says ReadAloud.org co-founder Dr. Candace Kendle. “We want to see reading aloud every day for 15 minutes become one of the essential routines of child care, as normal as daily tooth brushing.”
“The response we’ve had at the local level has been amazing,” says ReadAloud.org Executive Director and co-founder Bob Robbins. “Businesses, teachers, librarians, health care workers … they all recognize the importance of what we’re trying to do, and they’re all drawn to our simple, but powerful message. We are excited to have the Mary L. Cook. Public Library help parents with young children throughout Ohio join our growing league of academic scholars, business leaders, government officials, day care workers, teachers, community workers, parents, and friends who are working to make reading aloud for 15 minutes every day, starting at birth, a parenting standard. Together, we will help more children begin kindergarten ready to learn, get the most out of their education, and become productive citizens.”
Read Aloud partners are united behind the idea that 15 minutes of daily reading aloud from birth to age 8 can change the face of education, nationally.
According to Read Aloud:
- Reading aloud is the single most important thing a parent or caregiver can do to help a child prepare for reading and learning.
- Nationally, 37% of children arrive in kindergarten without the skills necessary to begin their learning journey.
- If a child is not reading at grade level by the end of the first grade, then there is an 88% probability the child will not be reading at grade level by the end of the fourth grade.
- Even in higher-income households, nearly 40% of families do not read aloud every day.
- More than half the children in this country - 13 million children - will not hear a bedtime story tonight.
About Read Aloud
Read Aloud 15 MINUTES is a non-profit organization that is working to make reading aloud every day for at least 15 minutes the new standard in child care. When every child is read aloud to for 15 minutes every day from birth, more children will be ready to learn when they enter kindergarten, more children will have the literacy skills needed to succeed in school, and more children will be prepared for a productive and meaningful life after school. For more information, visit: http://www.readaloud.org/.