Read by 4th | Reading Captain Newsletter

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March/April 2022

Philly Reading Captains are on the Move!

Raise Your Voice at the Reading Captain Town Hall!

Join your community of citywide Reading Captains, on Wednesday March 30th at 6:00 PM.

Here's the Zoom link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87487190753?pwd=dmRDUUpsVVlRN3YwemVZNkNsTUhaZz09

UPCOMING READING CAPTAINS TRAININGS

Let’s make 2022 our best recruitment year ever! The Reading Captain initiative only strengthens and grows with your help. Here’s to another year of growing the Reading Captains initiative!

ACTION NEEDED: Our next training is scheduled for April 13th Please share the link with anyone you know who might be interested in becoming a Reading Captain.

We will also be hosting a training sessions on May 12th

Northeast Reading Captain Eden Galan with a group of young readers at the Laundry Cafe

Northeast Reading Captain facilitator Karren Williams sharing kindergarten registration information with an interested grandmother

Early Learning at Local Laundromats

For the last several months Global Citizen has been connecting Reading Captains with the Too Small to Fail initiative's work transforming local laundromats into literacy rich spaces.

An article highlighting these ongoing efforts was recently published by Chalkbeat.

We are seeking Reading Captains to assist with our work at the North Philadelphia site and other upcoming laundromat project sites in Northwest and South Philly. Interested? Reach out to us directly or let your regional facilitator know.

On February 28th Global Citizen staff and West Philly Reading Captains attended the Penrose school’s Black History Month Mural Dedication. The effort was spearheaded by student-artists who selected a powerful quote from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King jr: Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

Positioned right near one of the school’s main exits, hopefully the mural will serve as a daily reminder to the students of Penrose Elementary that love is the most powerful tool of transformation all of us have access to.

West Philadelphia reading Captain Facilitators with Pennrose's Principal

Reading Captains supported the students with a selection of books about black history and materials around literacy.

Penrose students were also excited to show off the doors each classroom had dedicated in honor of a different hero or subject related to Black History Month. The above doors honor Black Olympians, Motown Records and the enduring legacy of our Black forebearers.

This Spring, We’re Inviting You to COME ABOARD THE READING PROMISE…

Mighty Engine, a small creative agency in Philadelphia, has been working with a broad coalition of Philly families, volunteers and partners, including Global Citizens, the Free Library of Philadelphia, Read by 4th, SEPTA and the William Penn Foundation, to develop a city-wide early literacy campaign called Come Aboard the Reading Promise, places signage with playful learning activities across city public transit that families can use to grow strong readers. The campaign is scheduled to run between April 4-July 24.

As you well know, early literacy is a critical issue in Philadelphia, as in many large cities. When students are able to read on grade-level by the time they reach 4th grade, they are set up for school success. Unfortunately, only about one out of every three of our city’s children is reaching this important reading milestone that’s so critical to learning new concepts and subjects.

Beginning in April, families will be able to hop on dozens of buses, sit in 70+ bus shelters and take in hundreds of signs to talk it up and tune in to one another with riddles, tongue twisters, alphabet hunts, neighborhood maps, career explorations, poetry, songs and so much more.

The campaign also features large-scale, vibrant artwork and interactive cues at two subway stations on the Broad Street Line–Erie and Tasker-Morris–and short story dispensers, from which families and other commuters can print out and read published works from Philly authors of all ages.

We are now inviting Reading Captains from all across the city to be a part of it! There are all kinds of opportunities to get involved, from helping to engage students at our campaign launch event at Tasker-Morris station on the morning of Wednesday, April 6, to signing up to fill and/or distribute busy bus bags, filled with giveaway items for families on public transit.

If you are interested in learning more about these opportunities, please visit readingpromise.org/readingcaptains for regular updates or reach out directly to jennifer@themightyengine.com.

Don't miss the final evening of West Philadelphia's Visionaries With a Pen: Fierce Women Authors on the Move event series.

A continuation of their successful event series for Black History Month, this event gives the West Philly Reading Captains a chance to shine a light on local women who are contributing to the fabric of Philadelphia through literacy.

Event Alert!

West Philly Reading Captain, John Butler, aka Cousin John will be launching the newest book in his Chase series, Chase and the Case of the Missing Jersey this Saturday at REC Philly. There will plenty of coloring and storytimes to keep young readers entertained.

Pass along the info to any families you might know by sharing this link.

Want to help Philadelphia families build their home libraries?

Let them know about Dolly Parton's Imagination Library!

This is a free program for families living in Philadelphia - they can receive one book a month until their child turns five. Limit two children per household.

Direct families you know to sign-up here

Reach Out to Your
Regional

Reading Captain
Facilitator

North Philadelphia:
Dorian Harris

Northwest Philadelphia:

Gary King

South Philadelphia:

Carolotta Stafford

West & Southwest:

Diane Mills & Denise Henry

Northeast:

Karren Williams