Big Creek Elementary introduced the “Read to Them” foundation to its program beginning on March 24, with the motto, “One School, One Book.” For three weeks, North Polk Elementary students will read “Malcolm at Midnight” by W.H. Beck, while covering the topics the book explores, such as inclusion, friendship and the values of challenging stereotypes. 

Big Creek Elementary will join schools across the country in the program. While students at school will answer trivia questions, hold assemblies to discuss the themes in the book and engage in dynamic conversations with teachers and peers, families at home will continue to support their students by reading with them and engaging in conversations about the book and its message.

Bruce Coffey, Read to Them director, explained on the North Polk website, “[r]eading a common book together turns out to be a terrific way to unite a school community and increase parental involvement.  Reading aloud at home ensures students come to school prepared to read and to succeed – in school and in life.”

On the Read to Them website, one can find the program’s motivation to keep the foundation going in schools, as well as what their program entails and information about the community. One of the Read to Them directors explained how their program has reached over 3,000 schools across the nation with over 2.4 million students involved. 

The program’s benefits include access to quality education and books, at-home engagement with family, a sense of community within the school and extended resources for teachers and students. 

Coffey concluded, “[t]he secret sauce of family literacy is to create a symbiosis between home and school.  When students see their book being read and shared and discussed at home and school, they are surrounded by the culture of literacy.”