At Family Promise, parents and children are encouraged to read together each evening. Our host congregations provide multicultural books and willing volunteers to both encourage and participate with the families.
We know that the main barriers to early literacy are often located in the family home. Parents may not be literate themselves, they may speak and read in a language other than English, and they are often unaware of the importance of reading.
- Children need to hear 1,000 stories to be ready to learn to read.
- Reading aloud to children is the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading.
- Students who read the most, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background read the best, achieve the most, and stay in school the longest.
So we ask that you please make a difference in the lives of children at risk. Model reading behaviors and read to a child!