United Way of Southern Kentucky brings Read United to area schools
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Children in five counties of south-central Kentucky are getting a jump-start in one of the basic foundations of learning.
United Way of Southern Kentucky has over 100 volunteers going to three dozen schools to read to their youngest students in pre-K and kindergarten. The program is called Read United, and both the kids and the volunteers are loving it.
Elizabeth Newbould, marketing specialist for United Way of Southern Kentucky, says, “If a child is reading on grade level by kindergarten and first grade, a lot of studies show that their life is set up better. The trajectory of their life has better outcomes. And so we’re really focused on encouraging that early love of reading.”
Miranda Martinez, Trace Die Cast volunteer at Read United, says, “It’s just exciting going into the classroom. And you see the kids’ faces light up and like the sparkle in their eyes whenever they have a visitor come in the room.”
Bre Rutter, Trace Die Cast volunteer at Read United, says, “When you come and do this so frequently every year, some of the kids remember you or you’ve read to them before. And it’s always fun when they remember you and come up to you, give you a hug, and greet you into their classroom.”
Paula Barnes, preschool teacher at St. Joseph Interparochial School, says, “Building that love of reading so young is just setting the kids up for success throughout the rest of the year, their school years, you know, reading is the building block of everything in education.”
Read United takes place every year in conjunction with Read Across America Day. Volunteers hope it will inspire students to love books and read outside of school. It furthers one of the key goals of United Way, which is to promote kindergarten readiness and early childhood education.
