October 13 , 2005

Family reading effort to expand in South Shore communities

Local preschool survey finds just 27% of parents read to children every day

QUINCY -- United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB), South Shore Day Care Services (SSDCS) and educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Company today are launching an effort to encourage and inspire parents to read at home with their preschool children. The partnership will expand the successful Project RISE (Reading Is So Exciting) in Quincy , Randolph and Weymouth and will be kicked off by a series of free community events.

The first event will be held Saturday, October 22 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Thomas Crane Library in Quincy and will feature professional storytellers, hands-on activities and book giveaways. Similar events will be held on Saturday, October 29 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at The Academy Avenue Primary School Cafeteria in Weymouth and on Saturday, November 5 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at The Devine Early Education Center in Randolph .

“Decades of research conclude that parents spending time, sharing books, and reading to their children is a critical factor in supporting children’s school readiness,” said Milton J. Little, Jr., president and CEO of UWMB. “Unfortunately, the frequency with which parents read to their children tends to depend on economic status. We’re intent on reversing this trend and ensuring more children experience the ways that books open imaginations and possibilities.”

A recent national survey found that sixty-two percent of parents with higher income read to their children everyday compared to thirty-six percent of parents with lower incomes. A recent local preschool parent survey by SSDCS revealed that only twenty-seven percent read to their children every day. Thirty-one percent said they did not read because “My child would rather do something else;” forty-eight percent said, “There just does not seem to be enough time;” and seventeen percent said “I do not read English well.”

With support from the J. Jill Compassion Fund, South Shore Day Care launched Project RISE in 2003 with the goal of educating and supporting parents to read to their children everyday. Project RISE strives to increase parents’ understanding of the importance of reading to their young children as a critical component of school readiness. The program includes lending libraries in each participating preschool room, the distribution of new books to preschool children at their enrollment visits, suggestions by preschool teachers to parents about books their children might enjoy and training so that teachers learn how to best educate, encourage and support parents.

“ Reading is about opening one’s eyes to life, imagination and endless creative possibilities,” said Sheri Adlin, executive director of South Shore Day Care Services. “Our children, parents and staff have enthusiastically embraced RISE. Use of our lending libraries and attendance at our literacy nights far exceeded our most optimistic expectations. Thanks to the support of Houghton Mifflin and United Way of Massachusetts Bay , we’ll be able to expand this initiative to serve larger numbers of children and parents.”

UWMB secured a $50,000 grant from Houghton Mifflin to expand this successful program to reach new families and new communities. New elements include:

• A series of free community events in Quincy , Weymouth , and Randolph .
• The expansion of the pilot program to South Shore Day Care Services family day care system (15 providers, 50 children) to the Project RISE program;
• Significant expansion of the classroom lending libraries;
• The hiring of a literacy specialist to train staff and develop individual literacy plans for each of SSDCS 269 children; and
• Documentation of Project RISE learnings to share best practices with other United Way partner agencies serving preschool children.

"Children's ability to read is a major indicator of their ability to achieve success later in life, making our focus on preschool reading skills more important than ever," said Collin Earnst, vice president, corporate communications, Houghton Mifflin. "A love of reading begins with a supportive environment at home, and Houghton Mifflin is committed to supporting early literacy nationally, and especially here in Massachusetts ."

About Houghton Mifflin
Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company is one of the leading educational publishers in the United States , with over $1 billion in sales. Houghton Mifflin publishes textbooks, instructional technology, assessments and other educational materials for elementary and secondary schools and colleges. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning fiction and nonfiction for adults and young readers. Additionally, Houghton Mifflin offers computer-administered testing programs and services for the professional and certification markets. With its origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. The Company's Web site can be found at www.hmco.com.

Media inquires should contact:
Jeff Bellows
Phone: 617-624-8250
Fax: 617-624-9114
E-mail: jbellows@uwmb.org