The staff at Read to a Child, like most in our community, have spent the past few months responding and adapting to the 'new normal' caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to remain socially distant.
For years, our signature program, the Lunchtime Reading Program, has merged the power of the read aloud experience with the power of caring human connection, embodying the very heart of our mission. As our school partners prepare to lead students into the next academic year, we are keenly aware that our program will be more critically needed than ever as educators are grappling with the crippling effects that the pandemic has had on their students' reading growth.
Students will need support, both in their literacy skills and in their social emotional development, whether they are learning from home or in a socially-distanced classroom setting. Read to a Child is committed to flexibly accommodate our schools' 'new normal.' Sessions may not be scheduled during lunchtime for now, and students will likely be meeting virtually via computer or tablet with their mentors at the start of the school year.
One thing we know for sure: our work will continue, and beginning in this new school year, it will continue under a new name: the Read Aloud Mentoring Program.
While our program will retain its key components of weekly one-on-one read aloud sessions between an adult volunteer and an elementary-age student, our new program name, the Read Aloud Mentoring Program (RAMP), expands the possibilities for the program beyond lunchtime, while emphasizing one of the most important aspects of our mission: mentorship. This connection between the students and their mentor is one of the things that makes our work so unique and so effective. It is worth celebrating!
Thank you to our many corporate partners, volunteer reading mentors, and school administrators from across all five regions for your commitment to Read to a Child and the students we serve throughout this extraordinary time. We are thrilled to bring our newly invigorated Read Aloud Mentoring Program to our partner schools for the upcoming school year. Stay tuned to hear more from your Read to a Child region regarding updates and plans for our Fall 2020 program launch.
We at Read to a Child wish you and your loved ones the best, now and into the future. Keep reading aloud and be well!
