Read With Kids Chall e nge Takes Off Education, less than half of all 4" graders do not read for fun on a daily basis. The Challenge hopes to improve those statistics by encouraging parents and other adults to track the time spent reading with children. Last year, more than 16,000 participants logged 3.8 million minutes, far surpassing the goal. The 2009 Read with Kids Challenge has set a newgoalofcollectively logging 5 million minutes read to children from April 1 to June 30. Participants can register individually or as a team of three or more adults. All participants are eligible to win a Walt Disney World Resort vacation and moreprizes. All are encouraged to support RIF’s mis- v 7 (NAPSA)—Aninnovative campaign aims to take reading to new heights by encouraging parents to read books aloud to their children. The Read with Kids Challenge is part of a campaign, launched by Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and US Airways, to help children discover the joy or reading and raise awareness of RIF programs serving children nationwide. Reading is important because it enhances young children’s language development, and studies show that reading for pleasure can contribute to a child’s academic achievement. According to the U.S. Dept. of Reading aloud to your children can help inspire a love of reading and could even win you a family vacation. sion by making a donation. Donors will receive a special edition of the “Off You Go, Maisy” children’s book by best-selling author/illustrator Lucy Cousins and will be eligible to receive up to 5,000 US Airways Dividend Miles. 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. The organization’s highest priority is reaching underserved children from birth to age 8. Through community volunteers, RIF provides 4.5 million children with 16 million new, free books and literary resources every year. To find articles and advice on reading to children, or to help support RIF programs across the country, visit www.RIForg.
