The Objectives
of the Program Are:

• to provide one-on-one reading-aloud experiences for children whose home environments do not include this extremely important activity;
• to improve the reading achievement of children through listening to trained readers;
• to build self-esteem;
• to build a personal connection between concerned adults and young children at an inner-city school;
• to provide a personal library of quality books for each child in the program; and
• to encourage the children to share their interest in books with siblings and friends.

How the Program Works

• Each child is read to in English by an adult for thirty minutes twice a week.
• Each reader reads once a week to two children.
• Children who will benefit most from this individual attention are selected for the program by their teachers.
• Many children begin to participate in the reading, which leads to improvement in their reading skills, language acquisition and self-esteem.
• Each child receives two new high quality books a month to supplement or to start a personal library and to share with siblings.
• The program is fully supported by private donations from individuals and organizations in the community. The program neither solicits nor accepts any government funding.