![[America Reads Challenge]](/inits/americareads/arc-colrtmb.gif){kind=small}
As a site coordinator you will be inviting families, teachers, and caregivers to participate in or learn more about your site. The following sample letters can help you communicate with each of these partners:
A "Dear Family" letter for families, parents, and guardians.
A "Dear Teacher" letter for classroom teachers, reading teachers, resource room teachers, counselors, and principals.
A "Dear Child Caregiver" letter for child care providers, day care providers, Head Start teachers, Even Start teachers, after-school caregivers, home day care providers, and babysitters.
These letters can be adapted to fit your special needs or they can be used by filling in the blanks with the appropriate information about your site. A sample letter with a matching blank letter is provided for each purpose.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Dear Family:
Your child, (child’s name) , has been selected to participate in (ARC site name) , an America Reads Challenge site. The America Reads Challenge was started by President Clinton in 1997 to encourage communities to help all children read well and independently by the end of the third grade.
Through our local program, your child can receive extra help in reading. A trained volunteer has offered to be a reading tutor for your child. This reading tutor will read to and with your child and provide follow-up activities intended to build reading skills. This tutor will be supervised by (name of reading coordinator for child’s site) , our reading coordinator. Your child will meet with his or her tutor (number) times a week, for (number) minutes each time, at (location of site child will attend) ___________________________________ from (date) to (date) .
We hope you and your child will participate in this America Reads Challenge site! This is a free opportunity for your child to improve in reading and language arts skills. If you are interested in having your child participate in this program or need more information, please call (name of site coordinator) at (phone number) by (date) . Or you can return the bottom of this letter to (contact person for letters) by (date) .
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I would like my child to participate in (site name).
_______________________________ __________________________
Child’s name and age Child’s school
____________________________ _____________________________
Parent’s name Parent’s signature
_____________________________ ___________________________
Address Phone number
[ ] I would like to be a volunteer for (site name). Please call me.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Dear Family:
Your child, (child’s name), has been selected to participate in, an America Reads Challenge site. The America Reads Challenge was started by President Clinton in 1997 to encourage communities to help all children read well and independently by the end of the third grade.
Through our local program, your child can receive extra help in reading. A trained volunteer has offered to be a reading tutor for your child. This reading tutor will read to and with your child and provide follow up activities intended to build reading skills. This tutor will be supervised by (coordinator's name), our reading coordinator. Your child will meet with his or her tutor (number) times a week, for (number) minutes each time, at (location of site child will attend) ___________________________________ from (date) to (date).
We hope you and your child will participate in this America Reads Challenge site! This is a free opportunity for your child to improve in reading and language arts skills. If you are interested in having your child participate in this program or need more information, please call at by . Or you can return the bottom of this letter to by .
****************************************************************************
I would like my child to participate in .
_______________________________ __________________________
Child’s name and age Child’s school
____________________________ _____________________________
Parent’s name Parent’s signature
_____________________________ ___________________________
Address Phone number
[ ] I would like to be a volunteer for . Please call me.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Dear Teacher:
Your students, (names) , have been selected to participate in (ARC site name), an America Reads Challenge site. The America Reads Challenge was started by President Clinton in 1997 to encourage communities to help all children read well and independently by the end of the third grade.
Through our local program your students can receive extra help in reading and language arts. Trained volunteers have offered to serve as reading tutors for students in the program. Reading tutors will read to and with your students and provide follow-up activities to build reading skills. The tutors will be supervised by (name of reading coordinator) , our reading coordinator.
Children will meet with tutors (number) times a week, for (number) minutes each time, at (location of site students will attend) beginning on (date). Research on effective tutoring programs shows that students’ reading performance is improved when tutoring programs link closely with the students’ classroom reading instruction. We encourage and would appreciate your involvement with this effort by working with us in the following ways:
Encouraging students, families, and caregivers to participate in all parts of the program.
Providing information about your student’s reading abilities, such as:
- Current reading levels
- Skills and topics requiring reinforcement
- Effective teaching strategies and approaches
- Suggested materials for tutoring
Communicating any individual student’s special needs to his or her tutor. To contact the reading coordinator with information or to ask questions about the program please call (name of reading coordinator) at (phone number) .
We appreciate your support of this effort. We encourage you to stay in contact with us to offer support and advice to tutors and program coordinators as they work with your students and to hear about your students’ progress in reading. Thank you for your involvement with (ARC site name) .
CONGRATULATIONS!
Dear Teacher:
Your students, , have been selected to participate in, , an America Reads Challenge site. The America Reads Challenge was started by President Clinton in 1997 to encourage communities to help all children read well and independently by the end of the third grade.
Through our local program your students can receive extra help in reading and language arts. Trained volunteers have offered to serve as reading tutors for students in the program. Reading tutors will read to and with your students and provide follow-up activities to build reading skills. The tutors will be supervised by , our reading coordinator.
Children will meet with tutors times a week, for (number) minutes each time, beginning on (date). Research on effective tutoring programs shows that students’ reading performance is improved when tutoring programs link closely with the students’ classroom reading instruction. We encourage and would appreciate your involvement with this effort by working with us in the following ways:
Encouraging students, families, and caregivers to participate in all parts of the program. Providing information about your student’s reading abilities, such as:
- Current reading levels
- Skills and topics requiring reinforcement
- Effective teaching strategies and approaches
- Suggested materials for tutoring
Communicating any individual student’s special needs to his or her tutor.
To contact the reading coordinator with information or to ask questions about the program please call at (number of Reading Coordinator). We appreciate your support of this effort. We encourage you to stay in contact with us to offer support and advice to tutors and program coordinators as they work with your students and to hear about your students’ progress in reading. Thank you for your involvement with (name of ARC program).
CONGRATULATIONS!
Dear Caregiver:
The child/children you care for, (name/s) , has/have been selected to participate in, (ARC site name), an America Reads Challenge site. The America Reads Challenge was started by President Clinton in 1997 to encourage communities to help all children read well and independently by the end of the third grade.
Through our local site the child/children can receive extra help in reading and getting ready to read. Trained volunteers have offered to serve as reading tutors for children in the program. Reading tutors will read to and with children and provide follow up activities to build reading skills. Tutors will be supervised by (name of reading coordinator) , our reading coordinator.
Children will meet with tutors (number) times a week, for (number) minutes each time, at (location of site students will attend) beginning on (date). Studies of tutoring programs show that children make the most progress in reading when their tutoring programs are closely coordinated with their other learning experiences. Your knowledge of the children you care for can help tutors and the reading coordinator to run a successful program. You can help the children you care for to improve their reading abilities by:
Informing parents about how their children can participate in this program.
Communicating your understanding of any individual child’s special needs to his or her tutor.
Following up with children on the activities they have worked on with their tutors when they are with you.
Getting materials from the reading coordinator to use with children in your care.
To contact the reading coordinator with information or to ask questions about the program
please call (name of reading coordinator) at (phone number) . We appreciate your support of this effort. We encourage you to stay in contact with us to offer support and advice to tutors and program coordinators as they work with children and to learn about children’s progress in reading.
Thank you for your involvement with (ARC site name) .
CONGRATULATIONS!
Dear Caregiver:
The child/children you care for, (name/s), has/have been selected to participate in, , an America Reads Challenge site. The America Reads Challenge was started by President Clinton in 1997 to encourage communities to help all children read well and independently by the end of the third grade.
Through our local site the child/children you care for can receive extra help in reading and getting ready to read. Trained volunteers have offered to serve as reading tutors for children in the program. Reading tutors will read to and with children and provide follow up activities to build reading skills. Tutors will be supervised by , our reading coordinator. Children will meet with tutors (number) times a week, for (number) minutes each time, at (location of site students will attend) beginning on (date).
Studies of tutoring programs show that children make the most progress in reading when their tutoring programs are closely coordinated with their other learning experiences. Your knowledge of the children you care for can help tutors and the Reading Coordinator to run a successful program. You can help the children you care for to improve their reading abilities by :
Informing parents about how their children can participate in this program.
Communicating your understanding of any individual child’s special needs to his or her tutor.
Following up with children on the activities they have worked on with their tutors when they are with you.
Getting materials from the reading coordinator to use with children in your care.
To contact the reading coordinator with information or to ask questions about the program please call at . We appreciate your support of this effort. We encourage you to stay in contact with us to offer support and advice to tutors and program coordinators as they work with children and to learn about children’s progress in reading.
Thank you for your involvement with (ARC program).
Reaching Out to Families, Caregivers, and Teachers