Last week I had the chance to participate in a special reading celebration at Southwest Community Campus in Grand Rapids.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

Often times parents find their kids like reading at a young age, but then loose the passion as they get older.  Here are some age appropriate tips to raise a kids who loves to read.

Babies – Make reading enjoyable by cuddling on the couch or lying on a pile of pillows for storytime.  Opt for books that have pictures of faces, images or primary colors.

Toddlers – Choose picture books with a theme your child likes such as trucks or animals.  Don’t limit books to just bedtime, make it a part of your child’s entire day.

Preschoolers – Look for rhyming books to lay the groundwork for learning phonics.  As you read to your kids, discuss what’s going on with the story.  Consider reading a series so your child will grow attached to familiar characters.

School Age-Kids – Even as your kids learn the skill, continue to read with and to them.  Expose them to various genres and talk to your kids about what they read.

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/aidanmorgan/3537327425/

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

The Heart of West Michigan United Way is taking action to help more kids meet reading goals.  Here is how the “Schools of Hope” program works.

The goal is to close the achievement gap between the highest and lowest performing school districts in Kent County.  Recently published information shows that more than 30% of fourth graders in Grand Rapids Public Schools are reading below grade level.

Research shows that reading volunteers can make a difference.  That’s why United Way is asking 2,000 people to step up to the challenge and volunteer to help kids learn to read.  It only takes 30 minutes a week during the school year and you can transform a child’s life.  No prior training or experience is necessary.

High school age students through senior citizens are welcome to volunteer.  For more information on this initiative call 616-459-2255 or visit http://www.waybetterunitedway.org/program-soh.php.

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments

If you or your child is struggling with reading there is help available.  All of these programs below work with children and adults to improve reading skills.

Battle Creek Community Literacy Collaborative
269-660-5879
www.itstartswithreading.org

Kalamazoo Literacy Council
269-343-8666
www.kalamazooliteracycouncil.org

Literacy Center of West Michigan
616-459-5151

Project Literacy, Inc. – Muskegon
231-722-6474

Read Muskegon
231-766-5040
www.readmuskegon.org

The WORD Project – Grand Rapids
616-454-4874

Permalink  |  Bookmark  |  View Comments