Nick’s eyes widened at the mischievous antics of the Cat in the Hat as the 6-year-old recited the iconic tale to his reading companion, Brenda from First Citizen’s Bank, at one of Hope through Housing’s Read Across America events.
In conjunction with Read Across America Day, Hope through Housing orchestrated a weeklong celebration in March of stories that introduce children to new worlds and cultivate essential lifelong skills.
“The kids had a lot a fun and Nick did such a great job,” Brenda said.
This year, our programs engaged more than 250 children at 22 locations across Southern California as well as at four Hope through Housing programs in Florida and Texas, nurturing young minds through the joy of reading.
A dedicated team of more than 20 volunteers from First Citizen’s Bank, Target, UPS, DoubleTree, Hillside Church, UC Riverside, Amigos Church of Yorba Linda, CITI Bank, the Empire Strykers and Women of Hope donned striped hats and crimson bowties to read with children.
The Read Across America celebration is a part of Hope through Housing’s commitment to early literacy amidst declining reading scores worsened by the pandemic. Monthly reading events reinforce our commitment to literacy learning.
Studies show that reading with young children builds language acquisition, communication and social skills, in addition to improving overall literacy.
“I’ve noticed a big improvement since Nick joined the program three years ago,” Nick’s mother, Adriana said. “He loves to read so this event is really fun and a great way for him to grow.”
Click here for an album of our Read Across America Celebrations