AFT President Randi Weingarten on Dec. 14 visited Malcolm X Elementary School in Washington, D.C., for the launch of Reading Opens the World, a literacy initiative to distribute 1 million free books to children nationwide.
“We gotta make sure in the aftermath of this pandemic that all kids have books at home, and that’s part of what this is,” Weingarten said.
Another piece of the initiative, Weingarten said, is “to give teachers and school staff, our paraprofessionals, our bus drivers, our school secretaries, our guidance counselors the tools and professional development that translates, that takes the science of reading and puts it into usable resources to help students read and read well.”
Reading Opens the World also aims “to give parents and caregivers fun and resourced and researched-based tips and tools to support literacy,” she said.
AFTNJ President Donna M. Chiera sees many benefits to the initiative.
“During the COVID pandemic, I can’t tell you how many times I sought comfort by reading a book,” Chiera says. “At times, I read to learn, but most of the time it was reading to escape our current reality. The AFT literacy initiative not only will focus on reading instruction, but it will give the gift of imagination and knowledge through its book giveaways. This will be the gift that will lead them on a journey of lifelong learning. We will be developing the minds of our future: Kids who read will become the adults who lead.”
