VIPS’s EveryBody Reads program has met with much success. Last year, VIPS documented students whose reading skills improved up to three grade levels! However, the Reading Friend volunteers and staff at VIPS always look for ways to reach even more children and strengthen literacy in our community.

With  a grant from the Rotary Foundation, VIPS is expanding the EveryBody Reads program for students currently enrolled in the program at Dalton Elementary. EveryBody Reads at Home aims to increase the amount of time spent reading in the home while increasing the number of books in the home.

Reading Friend volunteers will continue to work with their students at the school but will also provide reading materials that can be worked on at home, with many activities to involve family members. The Reading Bingo game can be taken home in the student’s colorful EveryBody Reads at Home tote bag. In Reading Bingo, stickers are awarded for drawing a picture about a favorite book, sharing a story with a family member or younger sibling, or reading a joke and sharing it with a friend. A special prize is given when the card is returned and the student has earned BINGO! And of course books are sent home to become a part of each student’s in-home libraries.

Through our pre- and post-testing, Reading Friends expect to find at the end of the school year that children enjoy more independent reading and have a wonderful array of books in the home to enjoy for a lifetime. VIPS thanks the Rotary Foundation for making EveryBody Reads at Home a reality.