The United Way of the Brazos Valley encourages volunteers to virtually bring story time to classrooms in honor of National Reading Month. Volunteers throughout the Brazos Valley have helped compile a digital library of story times read aloud for teachers to share with their Pre-K to third-grade students.
“One of the advantages of Reading Day is that students will get hooked by seeing someone they recognize and saying, ‘that’s my friend, I know this person’ and want to see what the story is about,” Community Outreach Officer of Bryan ISD Hugo Ibarra says. Ibarra has helped contribute to Reading Day’s virtual library by submitting an English and Spanish story time reading of Sometimes..., a children’s book that he helped co-author.
This year, United Way of the Brazos Valley received 138 video submissions from community members, including eight videos in Spanish. Safety is a priority for volunteers, students and teachers, so Reading Day 2021 has been a virtual experience. However, volunteers can still connect with students in the classroom and create an exciting reading experience. Volunteer readers included Rudder High School’s volleyball team members, local media employees, Bryan ISD Library Services employees, and United Way of the Brazos Valley Board Members — to name a few.
“Instilling a love for reading in young children lays the foundation for them to become life-long learners,” says Kyle Gammenthaler, board chair for the United Way of the Brazos Valley. “The statistics are clear that reading and learning at an early age is critical to the overall health of a community. Reading Day is a chance for us to bring some joy and learning to our community’s next generation.”
The digital library will be available to Pre-K to third-grade teachers for the remainder of the academic year. Teachers interested in accessing the digital library should contact United Way of the Brazos Valley for more information.
United Way of the Brazos Valley fights for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in the Brazos Valley. Reading Day is only one of their Early Literacy Programs, including Baby Bundles and Book Bash. These programs seek to promote equitable access to education for students throughout the Brazos Valley.
To learn more about early literacy or to support the work of the United Way of the Brazos Valley, please visit uwbv.org.
