MISSION:
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To promote literacy and motivate children to read by building
at-home libraries for underserved children in Greater Los Angeles.
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HISTORY: |
Reading Is Fundamental of
Southern California was founded in 1972.
In 1966, former teacher Margaret McNamara brought a bag of used
books to four boys in Washington, D.C., whom she tutored in reading.
When she told the children they could each pick out a book to
keep, their astonishment and delight led her to discover that
these children, and many of their classmates, had never owned
any books. By that summer, Mrs. McNamara had gathered a group
of school volunteers, and on November 3, 1966, they launched the
book distribution and reading motivation program they called Reading
Is Fundamental.
Today, RIF is the largest children’s literacy organization
in the nation.
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CHALLENGE: |
According to the L.A. Workforce Literacy Project’s
2004 report, 3.8 million (53%) of adults in Los Angeles County have
low literacy skills – a condition that affects a multitude
of social and economic issues, limiting individuals in their employment
opportunities and, ultimately, the options open to them in life.
Poor literacy tends to run in families, as illiterate parents are
less capable of supporting their child’s reading efforts.
If we ever hope to improve adult literacy, we must
begin with our children.
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PROGRAM: |
More than any other skill,
the ability to read allows a child to succeed in school and in
life. RIF makes a difference in children's lives every
day through: enriching activities that spark children's interest
in reading; putting books in the hands, homes, and hearts of the
children who need them most; helping educate parents about the
importance of literacy in their homes; motivating children and
volunteers to make reading a central part of their lives; and
helping whole communities celebrate the joy of reading.
The Motivational Reading Program has been RIFSoCal’s
core program since the organization was founded in 1972. Three
book events, conducted at each project site during the school
year, conclude with each child choosing
a book to keep and take home to add to their home library. These
books are theirs to keep at no cost to the child, their families,
or the site. One distinguishing feature of our approach is that
we ask that the books not be used for book reports or given as
rewards. We want each child to choose a book that he or she will
enjoy for its own sake, a book that will compel them to read for
pleasure.
RIFSoCal currently targets almost 200 economically
disadvantaged schools, Head Start and social service centers throughout
Southern California, providing over 165,000
new books of choice and reaching more than 55,000 children a year.
Download maps illustrating RIFSoCal project sites in relation to demographic data below (PDF
Format):
2007-08 Educational Attainment
2007-08 Median Household Income
2007-08 English Speaking Ability
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Visit the National Reading is Fundamental site at WWW.RIF.ORG |
