Read-Out-Loud Day raises awareness of students’ reading proficiency in our community

Volunteer Natalie Shirley, president, OSU-OKC, reads to students at Kaiser Elementary the book by Andy Rash: Are You A Horse?
 

United Way’s Volunteer Center coordinates Read-Out-Loud Day, April 23-25, during National Volunteer Week to raise awareness of our community’s reading proficiency for elementary students.  The United Way Volunteer Center coordinated over 25 community volunteers to read to students in 12 area elementary schools and donated approximately 50 new books to the schools’ libraries.

With the alarming statistics about our community’s reading proficiency, United Way of Central Oklahoma is raising awareness on the issue by bringing volunteers into area schools to read to students.
• Reading out loud to children is beneficial to improving children’s interest in reading.
• By placing volunteers at these schools, they are able to see first-hand the need within our community.
• In addition, United Way’s across the country are working together to address the critical need for education by seeking to recruit one-million tutors by June 2014.

STATISTICS
• One in six children who do not read proficiently in third grade do not graduate from high school on time.  Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation, “Double Jeopardy” study
• In 2011, more than half (52%) of all fourth grade students in Oklahoma City public schools scored below the proficient performance level in reading on the Core Curriculum Test.  Source: ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act Annual Report Card 2010-11

TO GET INVOLVED, visit: www.volunteercentraloklahoma.org or phone 405-523-3581.