ReadBoston
ReadBoston is a nonprofit children's literacy organization with the simple, ambitious goal of ensuring that every child in Boston can read at grade level by the end of the third grade. Children who can read at grade level by the time they enter fourth grade are more likely to continue to experience educational success, graduate from high school, secure post-secondary education, and enjoy higher levels of professional challenge and financial security.
Founded by Mayor Thomas Menino, Harvard's Rick Weissbourd, and other city leaders in 1995, ReadBoston provides necessary resources, innovative programs, literacy coaching, best practices for teachers and parents, and books to Boston's communities. Other initiatives, such as ReadBoston's work with Reading Is Fundamental and the NBA’s Read to Achieve program represent partnerships of a national scale. ReadBoston consists of several literacy-rich programs for children from birth through age eight. Programs reach children before they are old enough to attend school, while in school, after-school, and during summer vacation. These initiatives serve children in all of Boston's neighborhoods.
After-School Initiative
Why Is Reading Together Important?
- It is never too early to read to your child.
- Studies have found that if children do not learn to read by the third grade, they will struggle throughout middle and high school. Until third grade, children learn to read. After third grade, they read to learn.
- Reading, which is a fun activity for children, helps to develop listening skills.
- Reading to children at a young age helps them develop language and vocabulary, as well as visual skills and the structure of language.
- Reading helps children understand story structure-that every story has a beginning, middle, and an end.
- Children whose parents read to them are better prepared for learning.
- The Storymobile program visited children at over 100 sites each week throughout Boston last summer. Each of these children enjoyed storytelling, literacy activities, and took home six free new books to start or enhance his/her home libraries. More than 28,000 new books were distributed through this program.
- More than 700 children in early child-care programs take home books to read with their families every week as part of the Reading Trail program.
- Since 2001, ReadBoston and the Boston Celtics have visited over 20,000 students at elementary schools in Boston through the Read To Achieve program.
- The ReadBoston Reading Is Fundamental program serves 15,000 Boston Public School students. Throughout the school year, each of these 15,000 students will receive three free books to take home and keep.
- Over the past seven years, ReadBoston’s literacy specialists have worked at over 60 after-school programs throughout Boston, providing intensive literacy training to staff with a strategic focus on reading aloud and independent reading. Additionally, ReadBoston’s After-School Initiative has led citywide, statewide and national trainings. Since the program’s inception, over 3,000 children and 200 teachers have benefited from ReadBoston’s After-School Initiative. The program was recently evaluated and the results were very positive.
- Children in 72 Boston Public Elementary Schools have participated in the Family Literacy Project. These students bring home books each week to read with their families. Teachers and parents at these schools are required to engage in semi-annual parent-teacher conferences centered on reading.
The People
ReadBoston's success represents several partnerships throughout the city of Boston. From the program's founder, Mayor Thomas Menino, who launched ReadBoston in order to address low literacy levels in the city 11 years ago, to the literacy specialists and teachers who work tirelessly to achieve the program’s mission, to the generous donors who provide books and resources to the city's children—this program illustrates how a community can positively effect change. "Eleven years ago, literacy was a major problem in Boston Public Schools. Kids weren't reading. We wanted to make sure kids got off to a good start. [This program acts as] something to buttress the schools and reinforce the programs in the classroom. Today, literacy levels are going up,” says Mayor Menino. Moving forward, ReadBoston intends to implement programs in even more schools, after-school programs, and day-care centers, and to reach children at younger ages. Most important, the Mayor says, "The program seeks to reinforce the love of reading culture in our city."
©2008 The City of Boston