Caring is Everywhere: The Importance of Children’s Literacy
I’ve been teaching for seven and a half years. I started teaching first grade and taught it for four years before moving on to my next endeavor as an elementary technology teacher. Now I teach special education pre-kindergarten students. But no matter what I have taught, one thing has always been extremely important to me. Children’s literacy. Caring is everywhere. Including the classroom. And I’ve come to discover that books are a wonderful way to show a child that you care.
Taking time out of a busy day to share a book with a child teaches so many lessons. Whether you tutor a child who is struggling with learning to read or just cuddle up with your child at bedtime, you’re sharing a love of reading. You’re also showing a child how much you care about them.
Some of my favorite organizations are ones that are focused on children’s literacy and providing books for children in need. Children growing up in lower income areas often have less access to written materials so these programs are extremely important.
- R.E.A.D. for Houston – R.E.A.D. for Houston is a volunteer organization that provides books to children in need. They collect books from donations and distribute them to local literacy programs.
- Houston Center for Literacy - While children’s literacy is one of my passions, I strongly believe in the importance for literacy at any age. The Houston Center for Literacy is focused on adult literacy in the Houston area. HCL supports literacy programs around the city and connects learners with the education they need to raise the low literacy rates in the area.
- Reading is Fundamental - RIF is the nation’s largest nonprofit children’s literacy organization. It’s dedicated to encouraging and supporting children’s literacy by providing free books and resources to children and families in need. Their goal is to support a literate America where all children have access to books and can discover the joy and magic of reading.
And each and every teacher in this country who shows up to work ready to reach out to our children. My colleagues and all of those I have never met, are truly inspirational to me. Together with amazing parents, we can open the world of literacy to our children and enrich their lives.
How do you show children in your life that caring is everywhere?
Kleenex brand, America’s softest tissue*, knows that once one experiences the softness of Kleenex brand tissues, they will be eager to share it with other cold and flu sufferers, friends and strangers alike, as a way to show they care. This cold and flu season, make the care complete with a Kleenex Brand Care Pack, and together we’ll turn a seemingly-small gesture into something bigger, to make everyone feel better. Visit kleenex.com/softness to learn more.
Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Kleenex via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Kleenex.
About Mariah
Like you, I use books to teach about world issues. My son is very receptive to stories that teach a lesson, and we always talk about what we learned at the end. Literacy is extremely important to me.
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These sounds like great programs. I think taking the time to show our children we care and to teach them to pass it on is so important. My older son now helps younger children in his school and gives them books and I’m so totally proud that he is already working so hard to show caring to others.
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Those sound like great programs. My daughter is a pre-reader, and I am so happy about how excited she is to learn to read!
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This is such a great cause! When I was in college my sorority used to go read to young children as part of our service projects. I think we had just as much fun as the kids did!
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Im a huge advocate for children’s literacy, so much so that Im heading a movement at my daughter’s preschool, starting a new site called read2grow.org to get kids reviewing books! Definitely a labor of love.
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