Children’s Services Council of Broward and Broward County Public School Coordinate Massive Day of Literacy and Love of Reading, featuring a book about sharing, “Thank You, Omu!” – Register by Nov. 5
Broward County – On Thursday, November 7, 2019, from 8 a.m. to noon, hundreds of people will pick up the same book and read the same story aloud to thousands of children throughout Broward County, as part of Broward Reads for the Record®.
One of the lead coordinators of the massive, literacy effort – the Children’s Services Council of Broward County – is signing up volunteers for the inspiring day, which will feature a story about building community, sharing and caring for your neighbors.
Organizers want to surpass last year’s number of readers, which was more than 1,200, and share the book, “Thank You, Omu!” by Oge Mora with 40,000 students in 500 VPK centers, 225 schools and 15,000 classrooms.
“This is a day where everyone remembers why they love a good book,” said Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, president/CEO of Children’s Services County of Broward County.
“The readers add their own personal touches to the story-telling and get instant feedback from the children. For children, the benefits of being read to cannot be over-emphasized. In addition to the cognitive and behavioral benefits, they develop an appreciation for stories; they are introduced to new people and cultures through the book selection; and they are able to share a special time with their classmates and friends.”
Broward County’s participation in the Read for the Record® campaign is part of a national event that mobilizes millions of children and adults to celebrate literacy by participating in the largest shared reading experience.
Locally, the Children’s Services Council of Broward County and Broward County Public Schools are coordinating Broward Reads for the Record, and their goal is to have reader volunteers registered by November 5 at 5 p.m.
CLICK HERE to register.
When volunteers sign up for this project, they will be asked to:
- select a school that is convenient to their home or office,
- type in their city/geographic area and zip code
- type in their best contact phone number
All of the supplies, including the book, will be given to readers at their designated location.
“We want students and readers, especially parents and caregivers, to experience the positivity surrounding the simple act of reading,” said (name). “So much good comes from reading stories to one another, and if people are inspired to continue reading at home, we will have achieved our ultimate goal.”
According to PBS.org for Parents, reading aloud to children has clear cognitive benefits. For example, brain scans show that hearing stories strengthens the part of the brain associated with visual imagery, story comprehension and word meaning.
One study found that kindergarten children who were read to at least three times a week had a “significantly greater phonemic awareness than did children who were read to less often.”
And the landmark, Becoming a Nation of Readers report from 1985 concluded that “the single most important activity for building knowledge for their eventual success is reading aloud to children.”
Reading also strengthens children’s social, emotional and character development.
According to a 2018 study reading to very young children is linked to decreased levels of aggression, hyperactivity, and attention difficulties.
The study’s lead author, Alan L. Mendelsohn, shared with The New York Times, “when parents read with their children more… they learn to use words to describe feelings that are otherwise difficult and this enables them to better control their behavior when they have challenging feelings, like anger or sadness.”
In 2014, Broward County joined the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) to increase the number of children reading at grade level by the time they complete grade 3.
The Children’s Services Council of Broward County convened community partners with leadership and support from the Broward County Commission, Broward County Public Schools, Broward County Library System, Early Learning Coalition, United Way, Family Central, Jim Moran Foundation, A.D. Henderson Foundation, Community Foundation of Broward and others to form the Broward Reads Coalition – Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (Broward Reads), now a formal component of the Broward County Children’s Strategic Plan.
