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Hawaii Senators, Reading Is Fundamental, Parents And Children Together Join for Reading Celebrations with Young Children
Educators gather at events tied to the "Read to Me International Conference" in Honolulu
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2009—Senator Daniel Inouye and Senator Daniel Akaka, both champions of literacy in Hawaii, and their staff celebrated the joy of reading with young children during two Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) events at Parents And Children Together (PACT) Early Head Start/Head Start Centers.
Senator Inouye's staff participated in the RIF Reading Celebration on June 16 at PACT, Kuhio Park Terrace Head Start/Early Head Start in Honolulu, while staff from Senator Akaka's office took part in a separate reading celebration on June 17 at PACT, Ko'olauloa Early Head Start in Kahuku. During each event, parents had the opportunity to meet and greet the special guests, RIF staff, and other literacy supporters. Following the introductions, infants, toddlers, and preschoolers participated in read-alouds and reading motivational activities; each child received a free book from RIF to build their home library.
Parents And Children Together's (PACT) Head Start and Early Head Start program in Hawaii serves newborn children through age 5 and their parents to provide a "head start" for school success. The PACT Early Head Start and Head Start RIF program serves 466 children.
"RIF motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life," said Carol H. Rasco, RIF president and CEO. "In all of Hawaii, thanks to RIF's 1,864 local volunteers, nearly 10,000 children are able to choose more than 38,000 books to keep as their own, every year."
This evening, both congressional offices will join RIF staff and Read to Me International Conference attendees, as well as RIF coordinators, volunteers, and supporters from Hawaii at a RIF Regional Gathering in Honolulu to further celebrate literacy efforts in Hawaii.
RIF's Programs of the Month initiative was launched to honor the ongoing efforts of local programs to fulfill the mission of RIF, which depends on programs like these to promote children's literacy. Thanks to thousands of volunteers, children all across the country are discovering the joy of reading.
About PACT
Parents And Children Together (PACT)is one of Hawaii's leading private non-profit family service agencies and is a leader in the design and delivery of a broad range of innovative social and educational services. Since 1968 PACT has provided community-based services, starting at Kuhio Park Terrace (KPT) as one of the nation's original 36 Parent Child Centers, and growing into a multi faceted organization with 12 programs. PACT provides services in the areas of early childhood education, domestic violence prevention and treatment, child abuse prevention and treatment, mental health support, teen building, community and economic development. For more information please visit www.pacthawaii.org.
About RIF
Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF), founded in 1966, motivates children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life. RIF's highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers in every state and U.S. territory, RIF provides 4.5 million children with 16 million new, free books and literacy resources each year. For more information and to access reading resources, visit RIF's website at www.rif.org.
For more information, contact:
Layla Wright-Contreras,
Media Relations Manager
202-536-3528
lwright@rif.org
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