Junior Leader Reader Ready for Shawnee and Jackson Counties
Books will be on the menu at 15 Shawnee County elementary and preschool buildings next month! UWKV's Young Leaders Society is back to read another round and give kids a book to take home and read again and again.
Junior Leader Reader is part of our work in Childhood and Family Success, because having books in the home is a predictor of future academic success. We work with schools that serve a high number of students from lower income families, helping their youngest readers get even more excited about the power of books and stories. JLR also sends home a caregiver letter with tips for making reading fun at home for at least 20 minutes every day.
Even more exciting, our volunteers in Jackson County decided to create their own version of JLR. This March, ALL grades at Holton Elementary will have a JLR volunteer reading and every student will take home a free book. We are incredibly excited to see this evolution of a program that has already given away more than 50,000 books in Shawnee County. JLR, coupled with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Jackson County, means more books than ever are in the hands of Jackson County kids. Thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors who are making these programs possible!
Reading slots in Jackson County are already full, but you can still volunteer to read in Shawnee County. Opportunities are live at TopekaVolunteers.org (you do not need to be a Young Leaders Society member to volunteer!).