ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

I.    MISSION AND ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW
 

Read Aloud Virginia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational literacy organization founded in 1998 by Gary Anderson, a school psychologist in Hanover County.  The organization’s mission is promoting healthy, successful children through reading aloud, and it is committed to encouraging parents, teachers, caregivers, and other adults to assume responsibility for children’s literacy by reading to them for 20 minutes a day. 

II.    THE COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE

Read Aloud Virginia serves all families and children in Virginia in collaboration with local Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) and other community partners.  Currently, RAV has begun work in the Central Virginia and Tidewater areas, and will be expanding to the Northern and Western parts of the state in the next year.  The organization is currently partnering with CBS affiliate stations–WTVR/Channel 6 in Central Virginia and WTKR/Channel 3 in the Tidewater area.

III.     WHAT MAKES READ ALOUD VIRGINIA UNIQUE

Literacy is the fundamental building block of all learning and is essential to the growth and success of every child.  Reading to children increases their vocabulary, enhances their listening skills, and fosters a positive attitude toward reading.  Reading to children is a simple and priceless act that positively impacts the adult/child relationship, opening up the lines of communication and strengthening emotional bonds.   

Read Aloud Virginia’s goal is to create a family routine that impacts all children and their families, encouraging reading and providing incentives for reading to every child, everyday for 20 minutes.  Through the shared reading experience, RAV believes that families will strengthen the relationship between child and caring adult.   RAV empowers adults to be more effective in their quality/quantity time with their children.  RAV uses existing structures such as local PTA’s to organize and promote a love of reading, a love of learning, and a love of books. 

DEVELOPING RAV SCHOOLS

As of Spring 2002, RAV has nine elementary schools and one middle school that have ongoing RAV school programs.  Schools that institute a RAV program record books and the number of pages parents/adults read to children.  Schools such as Pemberton ES started with parents/adults reading 20,000 pages/year for the first year, 140,000 pages/year for the second year, and over 400,000 pages/year for the third year. RAV plans to double the number schools in 2003 to twenty (20), double again in 2004 to forty (40) schools, and in 2004 have eighty (80) RAV schools.  One school in Richmond Public Schools, Swansboro ES, became RAV’s first 1,000,000-page school last year!! 

Creating a Lifetime Reader Workshop

RAV offers workshops to school faculty, PTA’s and other community groups to teach them how to begin a Read Aloud to Children.  Information presented at the workshops include handouts and a discussion on The Read Aloud Handbook written by well-know reading guru Jim Trelease, a demonstration of reading aloud, and a video about RAV.  These workshops are tailored specifically for each audience and last from 30 to 45 minutes for a presentation to three hours for a half-day workshop.  .

PROMOTING READING WITH LOCAL TV STATIONS

RAV has partnered with Channel 6/CBS WTVR in Richmond and Ch.3/CBS WTKR in Norfolk to run RAV spots on their morning newscast.  Read Aloud titles appropriate for elementary students are featured.  In coordination with their school PTA, students fill out a book report form and draw a poster to go along with the report.  RAV encourages stations to find local sponsorship for the morning spots and ‘own’ them. All families participating in the RAV program are encouraged to watch their local station to see the RAV spots and hear of good read aloud books. The newscasters become ‘cheerleaders’ and the RAV spots become positive highlights of the morning news. Students whose posters are shown win McDonald’s coupons, Books-A-Million certificates, etc. if the participating CBS local channel wishes to incorporate this into the program.  For middle ad high school students, RAV offers a similar program called ‘NAME OF SCHOOL’ Listens Aloud.  These students/parents are encouraged to listen together to a book on tape or CD.  The student then generates a poster about the book.  

ICE CREAM PARTIES AT LOCAL SCHOOLS

Many of the Central Virginia schools have begun to keep monthly book point totals, based on the books students have read aloud with adults.  RAV in collaboration with the schools’ PTA has begun to identify these schools and reward them for their efforts.  Each month a different school wins an ice cream party from RAV and the Shoney’s Corporation.  Schools will set goals from a half to a million pages for the students to listen to during an academic year. Healthy competition between classes and schools will be structured to maximize the parent involvement. Parents/adults are encouraged to listen to a book with their child if the both want to sit back and enjoy the listening journey together. The local CBS station usually sends a newscaster to the ice cream party and completes a 30 second spot on their evening news. 

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH ON THE IMPORTANCE OF READING

Read Aloud Virginia has developed a statewide public awareness campaign of promotional materials including posters, bookmarks, and brochures that highlight reading aloud tips, as well as provide age appropriate lists of books for reading.  These materials have been sent to over 5,000 pediatrician offices throughout the Commonwealth, as well as at libraries and schools.  RAV has developed a website at http://www.readaloudva.org to promote reading aloud and inform the public about its activities and programs.  RAV has developed a mascot, Einstein the Cardinal, who is becoming a recognized symbol for the organization. Public service announcements are also in the planning.  

STATEWIDE CONFERENCE ON ‘LISTENING LEADS TO LITERACY’

Read Aloud Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University have begun a series of conferences on the importance of listening to books read aloud and modeling the ‘love’ of books. The first in this series is planned for the fall of 2002 and other conferences are in the planning stage.  These conferences are for all citizens of Virginia and will probably not always take place in Virginia’s Capitol.  

CONCLUSION

Read Aloud Virginia is a unique family literacy non-profit organization dedicated to promoting healthy successful children through reading aloud. RAV is unique as it’s goal is ‘Every Child, 20 Minutes, Everyday’ and the basic program costs very little. Stories are “downloaded” into a child’s computer, his brain.  As the child listens to the story being read aloud, his or her attention span also improves.  The child begins to internalize the concept that a book can provide enjoyment.  The more a child is read to, the more he or she associates reading with pleasure.  Reading aloud teaches a child to want to read.  Ultimately, reading aloud to a child will improve their reading level, as he or she becomes immersed in literature.