Daisy is a German Shepherd that encourages children to read fifteen (15) minutes a day to their pets or stuffed animals.
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Reading with Shepherd Daisy
Read-a-Thon Statement
Written by Global Give-A-Book's UNM Reading Tutors Teresa Austin | Sophia Schulz | Elena Finnegan December 1, 2023
 
 Sophia Schulz Teresa Austin Elena Finnegan
UNM Psychology Major UNM Biology Major UNM Biology Major
What is the problem?
In New Mexico, nearly 1 in 4 children under the age of 18 live in poverty. Studies have shown that there is nearly one book for 300 children in low-income communities. These are significant problems in New Mexico. Since New Mexico has the lowest literacy rate in the United States and one of the highest poverty rates, this impacts a person's entire life from daily discussions, education, potential income, and social class, which affects a person's access to healthcare, food, and resources. Children need access to books to grow and improve their literacy rate and to encourage them to pursue higher education. According to New Mexico Kids Count, 79% of fourth-graders in New Mexico are not proficient in reading, which has a cascading effect. About 16% of children who do not read proficiently by the end of third grade graduate high school late. Children deserve the resources and access to succeed and pursue their dreams.
How is GGAB addressing the problem?
The UNM reading tutors associated with Global Give-A-Book are organizing a Read-a-Thon event at Cesar Chavez Community Center on December 8, 2023. GGAB will give each child 2 to 3 high-quality books and provide stuffed animals for the children to read to. This is important because by reading to the stuffed animals, the children will gain practice reading without the worry of judgment. There will be book report forms for the children to fill out after they read each book. This activity will help the children develop a sense of autonomy and help them understand the books better. Altogether, this event is essential because we are encouraging children from our community to read on their own by showing them that reading is fun. We are also making reading more accessible to the children of our community by giving away books.
What will be the outcome?
Our Read-a-Thon event is one of many initiatives Global Give-A-Book is taking on to improve children’s literacy. By giving books away to children in Albuquerque, we are helping address the critical lack of resources in our community that prevent children from being successful. Studies show that access to books in the home is a vital factor in children’s reading acquisition, so this event will have a tangible impact on many families. Additionally, showing children that they can read independently to pets or stuffed animals will encourage them to read more often to practice this important skill. We hope to make this an ongoing program across the globe to support the literacy of as many children as possible.
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United, we can bridge the divide in book access.
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Your contribution directly supports our mission to provide quality books to children who need them the most and empower children with the tools for success.
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