Give Children the Gift of Reading

		The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. ~ Dr. Seuss ~
There have been remarkable improvements made in the Kane County School District in regard to reading in the primary grades- all since the beginning of the school year. This is due to the Early Intervention Literacy Program that was begun in Kane County five years ago. The program involves first through third graders who are struggling with reading. Each child leaves their regular classroom every day to receive individual help from a trained reading coach at the school ReadingCenter. As a result of focused and systematic instruction in the regular classroom, as well as this intervention, every student in the program has experienced improvement. Some of the younger children who could only write their own name and had few pre-reading skills can now read and write at grade level. Several children have made a years worth of progress in just the first few months of the school year. Teachers with students in the program have noted increases in all the (cont. on next column) reading and writing scores of those students, as well as improvements in other curriculum areas. Parents with children in the program are thrilled with their children’s success, as well as the rising self-confidence that goes with it. The ability to read is the key to knowledge and opportunity. It makes possible all human development. When children fall behind in reading, they loose so much more than one skill. Likewise, when they are proficient at it, they flourish. The power of this reality is being experienced in KaneCounty. Yet scarce public funding could threaten programs such as this. It is a primary goal of the Kane Schools Foundation to seek donations and additional funding to preserve and build on the success of the District Literacy Program. We need your help. Give a gift of literacy. Make a difference in the life of a child . The Kane Schools Foundation for Students is committed to expanding the Literacy Programs in Kane County. We are determined to build upon the success already achieved. The ability to read is the key to knowledge and opportunity. It makes possible all human development. We invite you to join us in making a difference in the lives of children.

Literacy is Everybody's Business

He who opens a school door, closes a prison. ~ Victor Hugo~

Studies show that if a student cannot read proficiently by the third grade, their potential to learn is severely diminished throughout the rest of their academic career. Furthermore, those who never master reading skills have feelings of hopelessness and helplessness since they are constantly frustrated and dependent on others. At least one significant study showed that the sustained frustration that develops with continual reading difficulties causes anti-social aggressiveness, ( Reading Failure and Juvenile Delinquency, Dennis Hogerson, 1981). Students who become illiterate adults have low self-esteem and often cannot support a family. This has a great impact on society.

Money spent now to make sure that all students can read at grade level or above is money wisely spent. Many of the social problems that cost our governments and institutions huge amounts of money could have probably been prevented had adequate reading education been provided to those who lack it. Consider that one half of all adults in federal and state correctional institutions cannot read or write at all (1986, U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections). U.S. Department of Education statistics show that 85% of juvenile offenders have reading problems. The federal government alone has more than 79 literacy-related programs, costing approximately 10 billion dollars a year. Additionally, the yearly cost in welfare programs and unemployment compensation due to illiteracy is estimated at 6 billion dollars. (1996, National Right to Read Foundation).

It is clear that an investment in literacy now will lead not only to savings in the future, but also to greatly increased returns on the investment.

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