COMMUNITY & CULTURE
NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT
O
nce upon a time, a retired attorney named Pat Simons
organized a group of girlfriends to start reading books
to young children at various early childhood centers
in St. Louis. The idea came about after conversations
with her pediatrician husband, Paul, who noticed a
troubling trend among his patients.
“He would tell her that many of the children had not seen a book
or been read to - they were going to kindergarten so far behind their
peers,” said Lisa Greening, executive director of Ready Readers, which
was born out of Simons’ idea of a volunteer-based reading program. “It
just kept getting bigger and bigger. By 2007, Pat was serving 6,000 kids,
while working out of her home. So she got more volunteers and got a
warehouse where she could put the books.”
Today, Ready Readers has 500 trained “readers” who serve 10,000
children in more than 200 early childhood centers throughout St. Louis.
“Our vision is that every child in the community enters kindergarten
with a strong literacy foundation to become successful readers,” Greening
said. “Only 30 percent of children in third grade are at or above third-
grade reading proficiency. How did that happen? What are the factors?”
A recent national study (Double Jeopardy: How Third-Grade Reading
Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation) substantiates the
link between third-grade reading scores and high school graduation.
It also shows how the likelihood of receiving a high school diploma is
affected by different reading skill levels and by poverty. “With that in
mind, how do you prepare children for kindergarten? How can we
galvanize the community to do something about it?” Greening stated.
The organization’s approach and its successful outcomes rely on
its volunteer readers, who are each assigned to the same classroom
for a year. The readers go through training, and are offered continuing
education and monthly workshops, with topics ranging from how to
refocus children to cultural competency.
“They read high-quality children’s literature and sing songs with
them. For 30 minutes a week, children have a consistent adult who also
offers support to the teacher and the families,” Greening said, noting
that every few weeks, students are given their own copy of a book,
complete with personalization. “For some of these kids, they’ve never
been called by their given name or seen their name written out.”
Ready Readers also provides literacy-themed field trips to places
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such as Powell Hall, which recently hosted an event inspired by the
book, “The Lion and the Mouse.”
“Twelve musicians from the symphony wrote a piece based on it, and
they put a performance together with two COCA dancers and a reader,
and a book on the big screen,” Greening said. “When the kids came into
Powell, they had a musical playground, and it was all based on books!”
And the happy ending, so far? “We are now showing that 85 percent
of those who participate in Ready Readers for a year have early literacy
skills to become successful readers entering kindergarten,” Greening
said. “At the beginning of the year, 38 percent of the children report
they have somebody who reads to them at home. By the end of the year,
it’s 85 percent. Families tell us that the kids are excited about reading
and when they come home, they insist that they read them a book.”
MISSION: Ready Readers inspires preschool-age children from low-
income communities to become readers by reading aloud to them,
increasing their exposure to quality books and providing literacy-
related experiences.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: The organization is in the midst of its biggest
annual fundraiser, the Ready Readers “Non-Event.” In its 13th year,
supporters and friends are asked to make a donation, but encouraged
to stay home, spend time with family, and read a book, in an effort
to keep costs down. The appeal is ongoing, and contributions are
recommended by the end of June. Visit readyreaders.org.