Children between the ages of newborn through 5 years are eligible to be in the program. The
Read to Me, Stockton! partners are responsible for signing up the children, promoting the program to the community and funding the project. Once a child is enrolled, they receive their own book every month, delivered to them by the
Dollywood Foundation. The
Dollywood Foundation chooses the books, based on the age of the child receiving it. You may wish to read a
brief fact sheet which describes the program and process in greater detail.
Read To Me, Stockton! began with zip code 95205 and recently expanded to include 95206. The families in these zip codes have the greatest need for literacy and are at the greatest academic risk. The area includes about fourteen schools in Stockton Unified School District (SUSD). Once the program is established, we will expand to new zip codes and the respective schools, based on need.
What makes the approach of the
Read to Me, Stockton! project unique is the partnerships involved. Mayor Ann Johnston has collected an outstanding team.
Our Mayor, Ann Johnston, is the administrator of the program.
Stockton Unified School District is in charge of registration and reaching out to the community. They conduct meetings and training sessions with parents to encourage and help them to read to their children. SUSD is developing an evaluation program to measure the program’s success. San Joaquin County Office of Education supports SUSD in their efforts to reach the community in registration and parent involvement.
United Way of San Joaquin County has added the project to their fund raising.
University of the Pacific is in charge of data entry and maintaining the database.
Rotary Club of Stockton is the affiliate that holds the agreement with the Dollywood Foundation for the Read to Me, Stockton! program. Through the Stockton Rotary Endowment Rotary is responsible for the funding of the program and is the financial contact with the Dollywood Foundation.
San Joaquin Public Library solicits applications at local libraries.
Rotary International is supportive of the
Imagination Library and
signed an agreement with the
Dollywood Foundation in 2009.
Many clubs have already introduced the Library to their community.
The Rationale – The value of reading to young children is well documented. It has been determined that 90% of brain development occurs before age three. Nothing can replace the experience of a very young child sitting in the lap of a parent or sibling hearing the sounds and seeing the letters, touching the book, thus associating reading with an enjoyable, warm and comfortable experience. Research shows that children exposed to reading in early childhood are more likely to look forward to school, do well early and to go on to college.
Often the business community asks, how can we help improve the education level of our children? Where do we fit, what can we do?
Read to Me, Stockton! provides a vehicle for business and other groups to meet a well known need in our city – the low literacy of too many of our children.
Just think, we will be responsible for young children anticipating the arrival, each month, of their very own book, receiving it and tugging on a parent – please read my book to me. Read to Me, Stockton!
Those of us involved in the Read to Me, Stockton! program wish you to read three short articles. Why? Reading these articles will get you excited. The program works!
- In 2007 Tennessee concluded that the Imagination Library improved school preparedness. Read the article, it is only two pages.
- In 2003, a much more sophisticated study was accomplished, but the article is forty nine pages. We know only educators are going to read this one. We present you the summary which is less that two pages and is very revealing.
- A one page summary of a study done in 2010 covering the subject of Books and Schooling in 27 nations found that books in a home is a better indicator of success in school than highly educated parents. Wow, a must read.
We have an opportunity to help a child learn to love reading for $25 per year. We have the goal of reaching upwards of 19,000 children in Stockton in the
Stockton Unified School District area.
Will you help us?
If you are a large group, or a business, or a professional group, please click here to print out a donation form. If you are an individual please click here. If you wish to contact us directly please call at 209-472-9662 or email us at info@stocktonrotary.org.
Register Your Child – You may register a child online by clicking here. Please print out the form and send it to the address at the top. Should you require help please contact us at 209-472-9662 or email us at info@stocktonrotary.org
