Monfredo: Activities Set For “Reading in Our City Week” - June 14

Saturday, June 13, 2015

John Monfredo, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Thanks to the initiative of the “Worcester: the City That Reads” Committee our community will celebrate once again the importance of literacy in our city. The week of June 14th has been declared “Reading in our City Week.” A proclamation has been read by Mayor Joseph M. Petty at the School Committee meeting on Thursday June 4th declaring the week of June 14th as “Reading in our City Week.”

Study after study finds that the ability to read well is the single best indicator of future economic success – regardless of family background. We know that once a child is “hooked” on reading his skill develops rapidly. The more he reads, the better he reads and the more he brings to each new reading experience. It is because of these reasons that my wife, Anne-Marie and I started “Worcester: the City that Reads” ten years ago. We have just completed collecting over 32.000 books with our “Give a Book” book drive and have been working on putting the books in the hands of our children with the assistance of the schools and various social agencies.

In ten years we now have collected over 275,000 books but just collecting and passing out the books is not enough. We also need to have our children be encouraged and supported at home to read each and every day. As the slogan states, “ the most important 20 minutes of the day is reading with your child.”

We need to continue to engage the community in literacy activities and the Worcester Reads Organization has moved their campaign forward with signs, posters and stickers reminding everyone that the most important 20 minutes of the day is reading with your child. We hope that additional groups join in and help spread the importance of literacy in our city. Remember, reading doesn’t take a vacation during the summer months.

Here is a list of some of the activities taking place in our city…

The Edward Street Child Services will kick off the week on Saturday, June 13th, and give away 500 copies of If You Give a Pig a Pancake, host a read-along, and encourage families to read with their children 20 minutes a day. The event will run from 11:00 to 4:00 p. m. so go there TODAY!

The Worcester Public Schools will have their “Kick-off for Summer Reading.” A variety of events will take place in the schools from celebrities reading to book character events and the passing out of books to the students given to the schools by Worcester: the City that Reads. The Worcester Public School Nurses will wear buttons that say “Read” as a way of encouraging students to think about the importance of literacy.

The Worcester Public Library will have a number of events starting on Monday with signups for library summer reading programs for children and adults. The book mobiles “Libby” and “Lilly” will also be very active during the week as they gear up for traveling from neighborhood to neighborhood during the summer months. The library will be hosting over 100 free programs including performances, activities, workshops, demonstrations, movies, story time and more. Prizes for reading and attending programs for all ages at the Main Library and all Branches will take place. Starting June 14th visit worcpublib.org to register. You may want to consider having your baby up to age four participate in WEE READS. Suggestions from the library to parents are as follows: Talking … talking with children is one of the best ways to help them learn new words and information… Singing… Singing songs is a natural way for children to learn about language… Reading… reading together is the SINGLE most important way to help children get ready to read… Writing and reading go together. Scribbling an writing help children learn that written words stand for spoken language… Playing … playing helps children put thoughts into words and think symbolically so they understand that spoken and written words can stand for real objects and experiences. The library has a list of simple activities that you can do with your child every day. IT’S A MUST FOR YOU TO SIGN UP! Other activities at the library include Teen Volunteer Programs, Summer Reading Prize list, Every hero has a Story, and a host of other activities. This summer the library is the place to go!

UMass Medical School will be reading to elementary classes during the week as will members of the RSVP organization.

TD Bank will kick off its summer reading program to encourage the students to keep their reading and money saving skills sharp during the summer. The program rewards children from Kindergarten to grade 5 who read ten books during the summer with a $10.00 deposit into a new or existing Young Saver account. In addition, the 2014 Reading Program brochure features a personal savings chart for tracking progress as well as suggested questions children can ask about savings accounts and the Penny Arcade coin counting machine.

According to Elizabeth Lynch, Education Coordinator of Mass Audubon Broad Meadow Brook will have multiple scavenger hunts to choose from (based on reading levels) that will take the participants along the trails, following clues and reading the signs of nature. There will be a small nature prize for those completing the scavenger hunt. Again, this is a great program so be sure to check it out!

Throughout the week, Worcester Head Start staff will be on the move with their books! Children will be enjoying a variety of special books in the warm spring air as they read outside both on their playgrounds and in other special outdoor spots. In addition, the teachers will complete home visits for children enrolled in the program. All families will receive their own books to enjoy with their children this summer along with a list of fun, literacy centered activities to keep them reading and moving all summer long.

Plumley Village will be having their children reading throughout the week and learn about new literacy strategies including choral reading and readers’ theater. In addition there will be a Kick-Off for enrolling students for “Catch the Reading Bug on the 16th, and a six week summer program for children entering kindergarten through 3rd grade. The program will begin in July. As part the literacy sign up the children will be given free books courtesy of Worcester: the City that Reads.

YMCA Greendale Branch will be running a week of “Read to Me” program for their out of school summer kick-off. Middle School Children will be reading to children in grades 3 to 5. In addition, the third and fifth graders will be reading to the Pre-k and Kindergarten students.

Barnes and Noble will be announcing their reading program that requires students to read eight books and write about their favorite part in a reading journal. When the students bring their completed reading journal to their local store, they get to choose a free book.

.The African Community Education (ACE) will review the summer reading list with the students and work with parents and with the community outreach volunteers to teach about the importance of summer reading. In addition, according to Frank Murphy, program coordinator, “Ace will be giving two workshops and demonstrating to the students in the middle and high school how they can read to their younger siblings. They will also discuss why it is essential that children read for 20 minutes a day.” Mr. Murphy will also be visiting families and distributing pre-k books to read to families who have young children who are not yet eligible to come to the program.

Reverend Telley from the Belmont Zion Church will encourage his congregation to read to their children during the week and have the children participate in the morning service by reading the different portions of the morning program. They will also continue with their “Yes, We Care” afterschool program.

Girls Inc. will kick off their summer reading program by having the girls dress up as their favorite character in a book. In addition, books will be given out to each girl to take home. They will also be making book marks and of course doing lots of reading during the summer months for built into their summer camp the girls will read 30 minutes after lunch.

The books for babies program through the Worcester Public Schools will be giving out books to new borns in Worcester and encourage our new mothers to read to their child. The WRTA buses will have electric signs encouraging every to read and will continue their encouragement during the summer.

The Worcester Education Collaborative in partnership with the Hanover Insurance Group will continue a targeted literacy initiative: Reading Together. This is a project to get books into the hands of children along with tools for their parents and caregivers to support proficient reading and sustained literacy. According to Margaret LeRoux of the WEC, on June 11 the group will read to the kindergarten students at Woodland Academy and to the first grade on the 12th. Both kindergarten and grade one students get four books over the course of the year. Other schools participating in the program are Lincoln Street School, Grafton Street School, and Goddard School of Science and Technology. Along with each book, the children receive a booklet of literacy activities do at home with their parents and siblings to support their reading and help create a culture of literacy at home.

Worcester’s newest baseball team, “The Worcester Bravehearts” in coordination with Worcester: the City that Reads” will be giving out home game tickets during the week of June 14th for those children who completed the “Home Run Club” … reading 16 books during the month of May (K-3) or reading 400 pages (grades 4-6) to a future game at Fitton Field in Worcester. In addition, on June 24th the Worcester Bravehearts will have an ”End to School Year” with various activities. The school that read the most books during the “Home Run Club Activity” will be rewarded with a block of 60 tickets for this game at Fitton Field.

Other groups involved with activities include the Boys and Girls Club, Rainbow Child Development, Worcester Credit Union, Family Health Centers, Literacy Volunteers, Worcester Historical Museum and the Worcester Family Partnership. These groups will volunteer their time and energy to support reading efforts over the summer months.

Each year, the community, thanks to its many reading partners, has continued to become more aware of the importance of literacy and we continue to move forward and in becoming “Worcester: the City that Reads.” Let’s all do our share to prioritize reading in this community.

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