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The private sector's interest in literacy is clear: it needs a skilled workforce without high costs to train employees. For the newspaper industry or book publishers, a nation of readers is essential for growth. But less traditional businesses also are taking the challenge. Here is a sampling of literacy efforts in the private sector.
The Southland Corporation's 7-Eleven chain teamed up with PBS television star Wishbone (courtesy of Lyrick Studios) to recruit college students to serve as reading tutors in local schools during the 1998-99 academic year. 7-Eleven is also a sponsor of Wishbone, the educational television show that promotes reading classic literature to elementary school children.
In the summer of 1998, 5,000 7-Eleven stores launched a national campaign, People Who Read Achieve, to raise $1 million for literacy programs and organizations across the country. In the first year, the national campaign raised more than $677,000 and distributed grants to nearly 400 programs and organizations serving 372,000 children and adults. In-store canisters continue to collect donations throughout 1999.
The campaign is an expansion of a pilot program started in 1989 in 7-Eleven stores in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC. In nine years, the stores in those states awarded more than $2 million to some 800 schools, libraries and other community organizations dedicated to helping people learn to read. 7-Eleven has high hopes for the expansion of this effort to build a nation of readers.
Contact:
Sharon Neal
Southland Corporation/7-Eleven
People Who Read Achieve
Cityplace Center East
2711 North Haskell Avenue
Dallas, TX 75204
(214) 828-7345
www.7-eleven.com/store/community.html
In response to growing demands on working families for child and elder care, 20 major U.S. companies came together in 1992 to form the American Business Collaboration for Quality Dependent Care (ABC). By 1999, the effectiveness of this alliance has inspired 100 regional and local businesses to partner with the original "Champions".
At the start, the ABC targeted most of a $27 million investment toward early childhood projects and school-age care. These funds reached 45 communities in 25 states and the District of Columbia. ABC committed to investing an additional $100 million for 1995-2000.
In partnership with a national campaign to raise awareness of the importance of the first three years of life, ABC has supplied 4,000 I Am Your Child Provider Kits to family child care homes, child care centers, and informal caregivers. Each kit contains a brochure, video and CD-ROM to aid understanding of how caregivers and families can play a significant role in brain development in the early years of life. (See I Am Your Child Foundation at www.iamyourchild.org/.)
In addition, ABC has introduced a popular North Carolina program, T.E.A.C.H. (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) Early Childhood Project, into Illinois, New York, Florida, Colorado and Pennsylvania. T.E.A.C.H. supports continuing education and increased compensation for child care workers. Scholarships for college-level training can improve early care and education by enabling teachers to better develop children's pre-literacy and other skills. ABC's support has helped to leverage state and foundation funding for T.E.A.C.H. expansion.
The 20 Champion companies are Aetna, Allstate Insurance Company, American Express, Amoco, AT&T, Chevron, Citibank, Deloitte & Touche, Eastman Kodak, Exxon, GE Capital Services, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Lucent Technologies, Mobil, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Texaco, Texas Instruments, and Xerox.
Contact:
Betty Southwick
Director of Community Development
American Business Collaboration
(800) 447-0543
www.pewtrusts.com/pubs/misc/childcare/child037.cfm
Schoolchildren in 23 states and the District of Columbia who read throughout the summer months can benefit from AMC Theatres popular "Read for the Stars" program. Now in its tenth year, Read for the Stars motivates kids to keep reading when school is out. The theatres reward young readers with special "Kids Pak" refreshments each time a child reads three books. Young readers are also eligible for free movie tickets and VIP recognition as Reading Stars in theatre auditorium. At the end of the summer, readers are invited to theatre parties where drawings are held to win multimedia computers. Organizers estimate that the Read for the Stars program has encouraged kids to read nearly one million books since the program began in 1989.
Contact:
Marjorie Grant
Read for the Stars
AMC Theatres
106 West 14th Street
Kansas City, MO 64141
(816) 221-4000
mgrant@amctheatres.com
www.amctheatres.com/kids/kids_read.html
In Tennessee, a local publishing company was the catalyst for a major effort to ensure that all kindergarten through third-grade public school children in the state have a book of their own. Hambleton-Hill Publishing announced its commitment at Governor Don Sundquist's Summit on Tennessee's Children in June 1998.
Hambleton-Hill worked with other Tennessee businesses and nonprofit organizations to distribute 300,000 books to Tennessee public elementary schools on the same day in early 1999. Their motto: "No child should be unable to read for lack of a book."
Contact:
Van Hill, President
Hambleton-Hill Publishing
Just Open a Book
1501 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
(615) 254-2420
Pizza Hut's BOOK IT! National Reading Incentive Program rewards young readers with free pizza, along with recognition buttons, stickers, all-star reader medallions, and praise. In its fourteenth year, BOOK IT! enrolls about 22 million students in more than 895,000 classrooms in nearly 56,000 elementary schools in all 50 states.
In addition, Pizza Hut has provided free pizzas for any child who completes the U.S. Department of Education's Read*Write*Now! summer activity program, a contribution worth millions of dollars.
Contact:
BOOK IT! Program
P.O. Box 2999
Wichita, KS 67201
(800) 426-6548
www.bookitprogram.com
Scholastic Inc. has long supported community literacy programs through book donations and a discount book program. At the President's Summit for America's Future in 1996, Scholastic committed to donating more than 1 million books to national, state, and local literacy organizations that support the America Reads Challenge. In 1998, Scholastic exceeded that goal by donating 1.76 million books to programs such as Born to Read, Reach Out and Read, Reading Is Fundamental, Rolling Readers, Jumpstart, Toys for Tots, and First Book, among others.
Through the Sizzling Summer Books program in June 1999, Scholastic distributed 250,000 free books to students in the District of Columbia. Every public elementary school child was allowed to select three age-appropriate Scholastic books for summer reading.
In addition, Scholastic participates in national literacy events such as Read Across America Day. Scholastic offers special discounts, challenge grants, and fundraising packages to assist literacy programs in becoming more self-sufficient.
Contact:
Julie Kreiss
Scholastic Inc.
Literacy Initiatives
(212) 343-6472
jkreiss@scholastic.com
Time Warner's nonprofit Time to Read is the largest corporate volunteer literacy program in the U. S. Five thousand Time Warner employees and community members volunteer each week to tutor 20,000 children, adolescents, and adults in reading.
With Time to Read, learners use magazines such as Sports Illustrated for Kids, TIME and People to develop lifelong reading and learning strategies that they can use in school, on the job, and at home. By making reading interesting and fun, Time to Read promotes literacy skills that are relevant to the learners' lives. More than 1 million volunteer hours are donated annually in 100 cities, at a cost of $175 per learner, for sponsor, tutor, learner, and training materials.
Every division of Time Warner participates in the program. Home Box Office, Time Inc., Time Warner Cable, Turner Broadcasting System, Warner Bros., and Warner Music Group sponsor programs in their local communities where employees volunteer.
Contact:
Virginia McEnerney
Time to Read
Time Warner Inc.
(212) 484-6404
Fax: (212) 484-6417
www.timewarner.com/ttr
The National Center for Family Literacy works to improve:
In 1991, Toyota Motor Corporation funded the National Center for Family Literacy to develop programs in 15 U.S. cities and helped build the momentum for future expansion. They found that adults are more likely to stay enrolled at Toyota Families for Learning sites than in adult-focused literacy programs.
When parents stay in the program, both parents and children reap the benefits. According to the Center's studies, children in the Toyota project made gains at least three times greater than expected based on their pre-enrollment rate of development. Changes in language patterns in the home showed enhanced parent/child interaction. They also found a significant increase in family reading activities-an 80 percent increase in reading books and twice as many trips to the library.
In 1999, more than 100 local program sites are directly linked to the Toyota Families for Learning Program. Building on the strength of this project, Toyota has provided funding to start the Toyota Families in Schools Program. Five school districts have received funding to establish comprehensive family literacy programs in elementary schools. Over the next three years, the Toyota Families for Schools Program is expected to help 7,000 parents and children gain the basic skills they need.
Contact:
Becky King
National Center for Family Literacy
325 West Main Street, Suite 200
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 584-1133, ext. 24
ncfl@famlit.org
www.famlit.org
In 1998, United Airlines joined with America's Promise to develop a recognition program for college students who volunteer as mentors or tutors for young children. Through United College Plus VolunteerMiles program, college students can earn up to 10,000 Mileage Plus Miles annually from United Airlines for volunteer work, such as tutoring an student in reading. United estimates that this has the potential to create one million hours of volunteer time for organizations such as America Reads.
Contact:
United VolunteerMiles
cservice@collegeplus.com
www.collegeplus.com
Sports franchises across America are actively supporting children's reading. These creative and highly motivational projects are inspiring thousands of children with the message that reading is important to their futures. Here are some examples of good sports. Other examples may be found under Baltimore READS (Ravens), Houston READ Commission (Comets' Cynthia Cooper), Newspapers Association of America (Grant Hill), Philadelphia Reads (Eagles), Read Across America Day (Shaquille O'Neal) and Seattle (Sonics' Hersey Hawkins).
Individual Leadership
As individuals, sports heroes such as basketball player Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons, football player John Elway of the Denver Broncos, basketball player Nikki McCrae of the Washington Mystics, and baseball player Cal Ripken, Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles all support efforts to improve literacy. Ripken funds multiple literacy efforts and has been known to read with children on the dugout steps in Florida before a spring training game.
Atlanta Hawks: Fast Break for Reading
The Atlanta Hawks basketball team sponsors Fast Break for Reading, a program now in more than 100 schools. Players and dance team members join mascot Harry the Hawk at school assemblies to promote reading. Students who complete the program win tickets and discount vouchers. In 1998, students collectively read 18,500 books, earning 2,600 tickets valued at $92,000.
Contact:
Gena Gatewood
Fast Break for Reading
(404) 827-3800
www.NBA.com/hawks
Kansas City's 3 Rs Project
College basketball stars also are doing their part to encourage children to read, through Kansas City's 3 Rs Project (Reinforcing Reading and wRiting) and through the Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Win for KC Reading Challenge.
Students in kindergarten through second grade participate in the 3Rs Project's Saturday reading partner program. Free tickets to the Opening Round of the Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, recognition at basketball games as a "Successful Participant in the Reading Challenge," and special celebrity reading sessions are a few of the incentives for students who attend at least six of the Saturday sessions. Third- through eighth-grade students receive prizes for reading at least twelve books during a three month period. Reading Challenge programs are planned for the other cities of the Big 12 Conference members.
Contact:
The 3 Rs Project
Kansas City, MO
(816) 418-7522
LA Dodgers and Pacific Bell
Pacific Bell and the Los Angeles Dodgers are on the same team, encouraging young children to read. In 1998, Pacific Bell continued its co-sponsorship of a summer reading program operated by the County of Los Angeles Public Library. The program offers children the opportunity to earn tickets to Dodgers games by reading books.
Pacific Bell, with the Library, was also co-creator of the Fiesta Dodgers Essay Contest, an opportunity for youth to read a book in English or Spanish, either based on Hispanic culture or written by an Hispanic author. Students were presented with prizes-including $500 scholarships-at Dodger Stadium in 1998.
In addition, Pacific Bell presented "Bat and Batting Glove Night" at Dodger Stadium where children under 14 were given a free batting glove and a coupon for a bat which could be redeemed at one of 30 participating libraries. Both programs aim to introduce children to the world of public libraries, reading, and baseball.
Contact:
Dodgers Public Affairs
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 224-1435
Roopster Roux and his All-Star Reading Team
The star of the children's book series "The Adventures of Roopster Roux", and his All- Star Reading Team of NBA and WNBA stars, visited 20 cities in 1998 to tout the message that reading is the most important aspect of education. Roopster's adventures center around his ability to read, which saves him from peril. Roopster was joined by A.C. Green of the Dallas Mavericks; Brent Barry of the Miami Heat; Cynthia Cooper of the Houston Comets; and Tammi Reiss of the Utah Starzz.
Parents, children and families must read more and learn to love reading. With sponsor Wal-Mart, Roopster is traveling the country with his reading message in 1999.
Contact:
Eva Hall
12600 Bissonnet, Suite A-455
Houston, TX 70099
(281) 498-8120
www.roopsterroux.com
America's newspapers are playing a major role in creating a nation of readers. Many newspapers are actively supporting reading improvement. Some provide special sections for parents and kids, staff coordinators, and school liaisons, or Internet sites and programs for young readers. The St. Petersburg Times consults directly with young readers about topics for its weekly sports page called "Short Stops." Here are examples of what newspapers can do to help more children learn to read.
Times Mirror
The Baltimore Sun and The Los Angeles Times, both published by media giant Times Mirror Company, are pacesetters for regional daily newspapers. Led by CEO Mark Willes, both papers are taking a comprehensive approach to stubborn child literacy rates in their home areas. As Willes has stated, "Failure to teach our children to read is a catastrophe of epic proportions. But it is not inevitable. We can, in fact, teach them to read, and to read well, and shame on us if we don't."
The Baltimore Sun's Reading By 9
The Sun's campaign is a five-year, comprehensive community service program that seeks to inspire a measurable increase in the percentage of 9-year-olds who are able to read at, or above, third-grade level. The Sun has dramatically increased news, editorial, and feature coverage on child literacy issues, including an interactive section for parents and children to read together and daily sections for elementary school children to read to themselves. More than 150 Sun employees tutor struggling readers in Baltimore City schools, donating 5,000 to 10,000 hours per year.
The Sun also recognizes reading success through an awards program for parents, students, teachers, schools, and librarians. The paper partners with libraries, bookstores, and the local media to sponsor book fairs, book giveaway programs, and a summer reading club. The Sun's Newspapers in Education program provides more newspapers to schools for use in the classroom
Contact:
Luwanda Jenkins, Program Coordinator
The Baltimore Sun
Reading by 9
(410) 332-6098
Carol Dreyfuss, Public Relations Coordinator
(410) 332-6047
www.baltimoresun.com/readingby9/
The Los Angeles Times' Reading by 9
The majority of third-graders in Southern California read below grade-level. In 1999, The Los Angeles Times announced its five-year Reading by 9 campaign that seeks to help 1 million children in the five-county area of greater Los Angeles achieve grade-level reading. The Times' extraordinary commitment will involve virtually every division of the company, as well as community, business, civic groups, media partners, and literacy groups. The Times estimates it will invest more than $100 million in the effort.
In partnership with the U.S. Department of Education, The Los Angeles Times is publishing hundreds of thousands of copies of The Compact for Reading, a guide and activity kit to link families and schools to improve student reading. The publication will be widely distributed in 1999.
By September 1999, Reading by 9 aims to have 6,000 trained reading tutors and literacy volunteers helping children in schools across Southern California. In the 1999-2000 school year, the campaign will donate 1 million new books to kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. A broadcast and print public service campaign will promote the importance of reading.
Partners include Bank of America, Sun America, Univision Communications, KLVE radio, Rotary International, Harley-Davidson/Love Ride, La Opinion, Rolling Readers USA, and the Screen Actors Guild.
Contact:
Jan Berk
Los Angeles Times
Reading by 9
Times Mirror Square
Los Angeles, CA 90053
(877) READBY9
(213) 237-3039
Readingby9@latimes.com
www.latimes.com/readingby9
Newspaper Association of America's Newspapers in Education
More than 700 Newspapers in Education projects are cultivating young readers through the Newspaper Association of America Foundation. Two hundred and eighty newspapers circulated a supplement promoting family literacy called "Reading Knows No Limits" to 50 million readers in 1998. The eighth annual literacy supplement, "Discover The World With Reading" will be issued in observance of International Literacy Day in September 1999.
The Foundation has also sponsored a popular advertising campaign featuring role models, such as basketball player Grant Hill, who encourage kids to read the newspaper. According to the Foundation, imaginative serials of high interest to children, such as Hank the Cowdog, are boosting the numbers of schoolchildren who read the newspaper.
Contact:
Jim Abbott
Manager, Education Programs
Newspaper Association of America Foundation
1921 Gallows Road, Suite 600
Vienna, VA 22182
(703) 902-1730
www.naa.org/foundation/index.html
USA TODAY Education
Every day in more than 25,000 classrooms, educators and students read the daily news in USA TODAY. The USA TODAY Education Experience has developed a comprehensive program that involves moral reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving and judgment.
USA TODAY Education includes Experience TODAY, a guide to people, places and events that shape the world. This four page, daily lesson guide is available online and is also delivered daily to schools with their newspapers. The guide stimulates lively discussions in the classroom. Monthly themes include Careers, Diversity, Technology, Environment, Self-esteem, Family, Problem Solving, Responsibility, Teamwork, Nutrition/Health/Fitness, Leadership, and Conflict Resolution.
In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education, USA TODAY sponsors a Web site to engage parents, citizens, and educators in promising ways to improve learning and strengthen schools through the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education.
In addition, educator training is offered at no cost by USA TODAY National Faculty. USA TODAY's online interactive connection helps educators see what other teachers across the country are doing, and helps students interact with USA TODAY reporters online. Students may submit book reviews they've written for publication on the USA TODAY Web site.
Contact:
USA TODAY Education
1000 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22229
(800) 757-TEACH, ext. 675
www.usatoday.com/educate/home.htm
The Nonprofits: A Pro-Literacy Tradition