Reading Problems:

Reading Is Fundamental - Books For Low-Income Kids

 

            Today's Snack: Make a yogurt parfait with an inch or so of granola or crushed graham crackers in the bottom of a 6-ounce clear glass or plastic cup. Top that layer with a few dollops of any flavor of yogurt and a few pieces of fruit, and put more granola or graham crackers on top. Have a tall glass of ice water with it.

 

 

--------------------

Supplies:

Review www.rif.org

 

 

            Everyone's concerned about the "vocabulary gap." That refers to the fact that underprivileged kids come to kindergarten knowing about 5,000 words, while their more advantaged peers know more than 20,000. Naturally, the more words you know, the easier it is to learn to read, and the faster you can start on your school learning curve.

 

That vocabulary gap is narrowed when low-income parents read to their children at home, and when low-income kids have books on hand, ready for them to read.

 

But books cost a lot of money, which these families don't have. Many low-income households don't have cars to get to the library, or don't want to take on the risk of fees for lost books and so forth. So they don't even have library cards.

 

Meanwhile, many after-school and summer programs for kids don't have their own libraries, have outdated books in bad shape, or don't have books at the right reading level or portraying a good amount of multicultural characters and themes for the student population.

 

How to get books into the hands of low-income kids, then? Solution: get involved with the national nonprofit organization, Reading Is Fundamental (www.rif.org).

 

            A single student, a group of friends, a scout group, a church youth group, an after-school program, or any other combination of people can get involved with RIF and do a fund-raising drive, a used book drive, or put on a reading workshop.

 

RIF, the nation's oldest and largest nonprofit literacy program, buys new books at a deep discount from publishers and gives them to needy children with the help of volunteer partners. Each year, RIF provides 4.5 million children with 16 million new, free books, plus countless gently-used books that associated volunteers collect in book drives.

 

Recently it has begun offering special events in which children from K-8 decorate cloth book bags, draw pictures from stories, create bookmarks, eat pizza, and listen to a costumed visitor read aloud.

 

They might take a ride on the "Reading Railroad" and visit stations representing different U.S. cities to do some kind of literary-related activity. So, for example, they may make a Mardi Gras mask in "New Orleans" and color bookmarks in the shape of the Washington Monument in "the District of Columbia."

 

A typical party might feature 50 kids who get to select from among 1,500 donated books - five books per child, to take home and share with their families.

 

RIF partners with civic groups such as sororities to put on the special events at places where disadvantaged children are located, including schools, after-school programs such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, churches, libraries, community centers, child-care centers, hospitals, homeless shelters and detention centers.

 

The volunteers collect hundreds of books with a book drive and collect donations to purchase books through RIF. One of the most effective policies is that the children get to select the books - they aren't just given to them blindly.

 

RIF was founded in 1966. Its top priority has always been delivering free books and literacy resources to disadvantaged children from birth to age 8, and their parents and families.