Published in the November 25 – December 8, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
Photo by Marty Cheek
Jeff Perkins, SVP/Regional Manager at Heritage Bank of Commerce, reads to students at San Martin/Gwinn Environmental Science Academy.
With Black Friday starting the holiday shopping season, we suggest parents, grandparents and friends purchase the gift of a book for young children in their lives. And if you have the time, consider giving the gift of time by volunteering to help a child gain the skills to read well.
A study released last year by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows young children who are read to daily, starting in infancy, are able to better acquire language and literacy skills. Unfortunately, many children are missing out on receiving this special reading-out-loud attention from adults.
More than a third of children in the United States start kindergarten lacking the skills they need to learn to read. And about two-thirds of children are unable to read proficiently by the time they finish the third grade. Research shows that the simple act of giving a family a book suitable for kids, as well as giving parents age-appropriate advice about how best to read with their children, results in youngsters having a better chance of achieving success in school.
Parents and caregivers reading out-loud to very young children gives them a precious gift of one-on-one undivided attention. This helps children bond with their parents, but it also gives children the message that the adults in their lives care about them learning how to read. And reading out-loud at an early age helps build language skills that lead to more self-confidence in communicating with peers and other people in kids’ lives.
The more words youngsters are able to use before entering kindergarten, the more they are prepared to learn to read. The better they can read, the greater their chances of graduating from high school — and having successful lives and careers.
Children with poor reading proficiency by the time they enter fourth grade are at greater risk of not graduating from high school and will more likely face economic hardships later in life – especially in a world where many job opportunities require the ability to learn new information quickly and efficiently through reading. A U.S Department of Education study in 2000 showed that if a child is not reading proficiently in the fourth grade, he or she will have only a 22 percent chance of catching up to peers who can read well.
Illiteracy can also be a contributor to a life of crime. More than 60 percent of inmates in prison are functionally illiterate. And 85 percent of all young people who get into the juvenile court system can not read.
In Morgan Hill with the holiday season now starting, there are various opportunities for youngsters to learn to appreciate — and have fun learning — the process of reading. The El Toro Clubhouse, the site of the Boys & Girls Club in Morgan Hill, is looking for volunteers from the community who are willing to give an hour of their time 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays in one-on-one sessions with children helping them learn how to read or read better. There will be an orientation from 6 to 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at the clubhouse, 17620 Crest Ave., for people who want to discover how they can help children build their literacy level. For more information, contact Cindy Miller, the Gamma Alpha Chapter Literacy Chair, at (408) 390-5332 or email her at [email protected]
The Morgan Hill Library also has various programs to help children learn how to read — or reach a higher level of reading proficiency. Among them are the preschool storytime held at 11 a.m. at the library every Thursday throughout the year. This is appropriate for children ages 3 to 5 years old. Bilingual storytime half-hours are held starting 10:15 a.m. Saturdays throughout the year.
During the holiday season, BookSmart is sponsoring the Morgan Hill Gift of Reading program. The program was for a decade sponsored by the San Jose Mercury News and RAFT (Resource Area for Teaching) but they have discontinued their involvement.
BookSmart, however, was unwilling to see Morgan Hill and San Martin children deprived of the gift of books at Christmas time and they decided to coordinate the book drive, store owner Brad Jones told us. “We are partnering with the Friends of the Morgan Hill Library and Cecelia’s Closet (under the Edward Boss Prado Foundation) to spread the gift of literacy and love of books to children in our local community.”
How can residents help bring new and like-new books to elementary-age children? BookSmart is offering a 20 percent discount for books purchased at the store for the Gift of Reading program. Cash donations are also welcome. BookSmart and the Morgan Hill Library will have collection barrels — with the collection deadline set for Thursday Dec. 10. Volunteers are also needed to transport the books to Cecilia’s Closet’s Madrone location and sort them by age groups and condition. The books will be distributed to needy children through the Morgan Hill Unified School District.
During the holiday season — and throughout the year — please consider helping young people in our region — and the ones in your life — discover the joy of passing through the door of knowledge and imagination into the world of books by unlocking it with the key of reading.
