READING IS FUN-DAMENTAL AND PRE-SCHOOL READING PROGRAM
"Reading is Fun-damental"
Books have the power to benefit toddlers and preschoolers in a myriad of ways.
Some startling statistics: 61% of U.S. children living at or below the poverty line have no books at home, 1 in 3 children entering kindergarten lack the basic skills they need to learn how to read, 69% of 4th graders read below grade level, and 70% of 8th graders read below grade level leading to possible high school dropout.
Kiwanis International has made a priority of promoting reading to children ages 1 to 5 years old. During the first five years of a child’s life, research shows us that brain development for children is at its most crucial stage. By age two, a baby’s brain has reached 80% of its adult size. Children begin to develop cognitive, social, emotional, and language skills during these formative years which make young children our number one priority during this stage of life.
Books have the power to benefit toddlers and preschoolers in a myriad of ways. As a parent, reading to your child is one of the most important things you can do to prepare him or her with a foundation for academic excellence a higher aptitude for learning in general. Numerous studies have shown that students who are exposed to reading as toddlers and preschoolers are more likely to do well in all facets of formal education.
The Kiwanis Club of Seminole Breakfast has been conducting its “Reading is Fun-damental” and separate Pre-School Reading programs since 1997. For its Reading is Fun-damental program the club has collected used children’s books which are distributed for free at our Pancake Day fundraising event and four Family Fishing Days. We’ve also donated to other community organizations in need of books. Past book drives that began in 2013 at Anona, Bauder, Oakhurst, Orange Grove, Seminole and Starkey elementary schools produced over 12,600 gently-used books!
For our Preschool Reading Program our club now purchases new (versus collecting used) age-appropriate books. Our members together with other community volunteers visit quarterly two local preschools. At Little Lambs Christian School we read to approximately 90 students divided into several classrooms, and at Oakhurst Elementary School we read to approximately 70 preschool students. At the end of their story reading session, each child is presented a new book of their own. The hope is that each child who receives a book will take it home and practice reading it with their parents, grandparents or even siblings until the children can comprehend, recognize or even read the words on the pages themselves.
Since the inception of these two programs, our Kiwanis club has distributed approximately 111,000 books!
