Can a National Read to Kids Campaign Change America?

Have you been following the Ideas for Change in America? One of the ideas proposed under the Education category is to launch a national ‘Read to Kids’ campaign.  Suggested by Everybody Wins! (Boston, MA), an organization that takes early literacy and reading skills very seriously, the idea is now among the top 3 contenders, set to compete in the final round. Of course, I’m delighted and hopeful.

Change America by reading to kids? Really?

Everybody Wins! is a national literacy and mentoring non-profit that aims to build the love of reading and reading skills among low-income students. The way they do this is by following the philosophy of one mentor, one child, one book at a time.  Working professionals volunteer time once a week to participate in the Power Lunch program – a simple arrangement where volunteers spend 30 minutes reading to a child during lunch.

That’s it. 

If you’re wondering if there’s really that strong a connection between reading to kids and changing a country, you’re probably not alone.

But if you take a look at the extent to which reading aloud to children impacts statistics such as the size of prisons in a state and healthcare costs, you may be in for a shock. I was amazed to learn that just reading to kids for about 20 minutes everyday could make that much of a difference in these very crucial numbers.

How 20 Minutes of Reading Changes a Child’s Life

When you think about it, it does make sense. 20 minutes may not seem like a lot, at first. And reading from a children’s book hardly seems like an intellectually stimulating activity, at least for grown-ups. But, it’s not just the act of reading itself that matters but the entire process and the various elements involved that makes an impact. When we read to kids everyday, we do a lot more than pronouce a set of words and sentences. Among other things, we help children

* form a lifelong reading habit – a key ingredient for academic success, higher education levels, acquiring new skills, employability
* develop an interest in reading  – a factor crucial to learning and expanding knowledge in almost any field
* explore various subjects and areas of interest including other cultures and countries – which in turn helps to…
* develop tolerance, acceptance and a broader vision of the world
* build self esteem – by helping them transition from listening to reading along to reading independently and by showing them that we value our ‘reading time’ together

And I almost forgot to mention how it helps kids with learning a language, improving vocabulary, memory and communication skills. Which, I think, are more the byproducts of the reading process rather than the purpose.

By being consistent with, committed to and passionate about reading with our children, we become role models not just for reading, but as someone who values learning, honors commitment and is constantly open to new ideas.  And the presence of such role models in a child’s life contributes largely to a child’s thoughts, aspirations, world view, beliefs and eventually to his future.

So, this Read to Kids campaign is not so much about reading as it is about creating positive role models for kids to emulate, learn from and be inspired by. And although it’s a national campaign, it starts with each of us committing ourselves to reading to kids( both ours and others who may benefit by being read to) consistently for a period of time. And if you think that’s important and that it could be a factor in changing the future of this country or maybe even the world – do take a minute to read about it and decide if you want to vote for it.

Related posts :
Raising a Generation of Readers 1
Raising a Generation of Readers 2
Nurture Compassion by Reading to Kids