MIAMI, FL – The Children’s Trust is challenging South Florida families to join the #Read30 movement and close the summer reading gap.
The social media campaign, launched today and happening from June 1 through August, asks parents and caregivers to read with their children for 30 minutes each day. The campaign is an extension of The Trust’s Read to Learn initiative, aimed at increasing the number of children who read at or above grade level by the third grade.
#Read30 is a social call to action for parents, families and mentors to snap and post photos of themselves reading with their children using the hashtag #Read30. After posting a photo, campaign participants will be connected to a host of literacy resources for children of all ages available at their local library branches. By practicing and sharing positive habits daily, this communitywide effort will help children succeed in school and in life.
“Reading achievement can typically decline an average of three months in summer and the best way to prevent kids from losing that kind of ground is to keep them reading, which is what #Read30 intends to do,” says James R. Haj, president and CEO of The Children’s Trust. “The campaign adds an element of fun to spark some excitement around reading so kids learn to love it and before you know it, they’ve become star readers.”
As a child’s first and best teacher, parents and caregivers can help them succeed in school and in life by reading with them every day, and by following these simple guidelines, in addition to reading together every day for at least 30 minutes:
- Create a home library of children’s books.
- For very young children, select books with faces, animals and objects to point to and talk about.
- Read in a fun voice, using different intonations for different characters.
- Talk to the child and answer questions. Ask questions of your own and listen to the child's responses.
- Talk about the words on the page, letter sounds and how we read from left to right and from top to bottom.
The importance of summer reading is far-reaching. Children who read for 30 minutes daily are more likely to read at grade level by the third grade, increasing the likelihood of academic and professional success. According to a 2010 report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “reading proficiently by the end of third grade can be a make-or-break benchmark in a child’s educational development.” Until the end of third grade, most children are learning to read, but beginning in the fourth grade, they are reading to learn.
For more information on The Children’s Trust and the Read to Learn initiative, please visit www.thechildrenstrust.org.
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The Children’s Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County by making strategic investments in their future.
Media Contact:
Natalia Zea
Chief Public Policy & Community Engagement Officer, The Children’s Trust
natalia@thechildrenstrust.org