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The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.¹ When kids are read to at an early age, they are more likely to become readers themselves and do well in school. By contrast, children without reading skills by third grade are unlikely to graduate.²

Why Read to Kids: It's fun! It's the best way to prepare kids for school. It gives kids a love of learning that lasts a lifetime

To help prepare young children to succeed in school, United Way of King County has mobilized 100 volunteers from the business community and beyond to read aloud to young children in preschools, Head Start centers and child care centers throughout King County as part of its Volunteer Reader Program. The program launched in March 2007 and currently serves 28 sites.

There are still opportunities available!
If you like kids and want to have a meaningful impact in our community, we want you to be a Volunteer Reader. It's one of the best ways you can help to prepare children for success in school—and life. We ask that you be friendly, responsible and able to commit one hour per week, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., on a weekday, for a minimum of six months. We will provide you with training and ongoing support, and you will become part of a fun, supportive volunteer community.

Register today, or for more information, e-mail readers@uwkc.org or call Carolyn Cunningham at 206.461.3656.

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¹Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading, Center for the Study of Reading, Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Education

²"Why Early Learning Matters"; Born Learning; bornlearning.org