WORDS & PICTURES: Gabrielle Versmessen
Oftentimes, we don’t realize how much of a lasting impact a stranger can have on our lives, especially as a child. But most of us can recall at least one teacher or mentor who positively influenced us over the years. You can be that person to a child!
The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County (ELC) offers the ReadingPals program to VPK children at local child care sites. This program provides a mentor to one to three students to be a positive influence in the students’ lives and help them learn the fundamentals of reading. Not only do the mentors assist in reading comprehension, but they also develop a meaningful relationship with the students. Building a relationship enhances a solid social-emotional foundation for the children.
ReadingPals meet with their students for one hour each week for at least 25 sessions throughout the school year. Mentors are screened and trained by the ELC, which also provides continuous mentor support. The books for the program are provided through the ELC as well. The students even take a copy of the books home to add to their at-home libraries!
Sharon Greer, Director of A Child’s Galaxy Preschool, loves the ReadingPals program that comes to her classroom. “It has made a phenomenal impact on my students. It has enlightened the children’s love for reading and books. It’s a great beginning for an early reader,” Sharon smiled. “The children’s care for the volunteers is amazing to see. They are so excited when they see them come and sad when they have to leave. Additionally, the love the volunteers are giving the children has an impact that the children will carry on for years to come.”
This year, several child care centers invited the ELC and the ReadingPals mentors to their VPK graduations. Doing this gave the mentors the opportunity to see their students graduate from preschool and celebrate their accomplishments with them and their families. A Child’s Galaxy, Our Kids West, and Smiling Faces were among those centers.
One family had this to say about the program: “The ReadingPals program has enhanced the joy of reading for our child. She had counted down the days every week in anticipation of ReadingPals day and was sad to hear when it would be the last time she would see her ReadingPal. Every week, on the day of ReadingPals, she comes home and excitedly shares her ReadingPals experience. Also, on that same day, we had to read the ReadingPals book she came home with. We believe that the ReadingPals program should continue to be incorporated into more schools so that more children can become just as excited to read.”
ReadingPals is a statewide initiative managed by The Children’s Movement of Florida. The pillars of ReadingPals are mentoring, early literacy, and social-emotional development. These three things are crucial to ensuring a child gains the necessary skills for a successful transition to kindergarten.
- If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer for ReadingPals or learning more about the program, please visit www.elc-manatee.org/ReadingPals or call (941) 757-2900 ext. 2500.
