March 2008

Volunteers read to help kids succeed

Every week, hundreds of children across King County are building vocabulary, developing social skills and getting ready to succeed in school thanks to our Volunteer Reader Program.

March marks the one-year anniversary of the program, and there is much to celebrate! Some 100 volunteers are reading aloud on a weekly basis to young children at 27 sites throughout our community, including preschools and Head Start classrooms.

The kids love having a caring adult to interact with, and the adults in the program are benefiting too. Here are a few comments from volunteer readers:

• "When [the kids] saw me, the whole class came running over to me and just piled up. I can't find words to say how great that felt. I ended up reading to the whole class, and they all paid attention the entire time!"
• "A child high-fived me as I was leaving, and then the whole class had to do that, too."
• "One preschooler yelled, 'Hurray! You're here!' How can you beat that?"

Cassandra Jones, director of the Roots to Wings Early Childhood Development Center, hosts volunteer readers and has seen firsthand the positive effect they have on children.

"I feel privileged to be a part of the program," she said. "Before it began, we had extreme behavior problems, I have observed improvement in this area. I attribute it to the fact that the children receive prime time with the adult readers."

Jones also appreciates not having to recruit the volunteers herself.

"It's refreshing to not have to deal with the logistics involved in recruiting, training and management," she said. "I'd like to thank United Way for being that conduit."

Join our group of volunteer readers! By simply committing a couple of hours a week of your time, you can have a profound and lasting effect on a child's life. Register today, or for more information, e-mail readers@uwkc.org.

Learn more

• The reading connection
• Facts about reading

Together we have the ability to change our community
for the better in fundamental, lasting ways.

For more information on why United Way of King County cares so much about kids and what we're doing to promote early learning in our community, visit our web site. If you have specific questions or needs pertaining to early learning, please contact earlylearning@uwkc.org

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