Our Women UNITED affinity group asks men & women to become Reading Buddies for local PK-5th grade students across Denton County during Read Across America Week.
Reading is fundamental, and Women UNITED is dedicated to ensuring that children in Denton County build a strong foundation in this essential skill through the Early Childhood Literacy Initiative.
Women UNITED recruits community members to volunteer in elementary schools across Denton County as Reading Buddies in partnership with Communities In Schools of North Texas. These volunteers dedicate an hour of their week to a student or a class at one of 26 Title I elementary schools across Denton County. Volunteers can also sign up to read at the DreamSpark Academy preschool located on Sherman Drive in Denton.
From pre-K to third grade, students learn to read. But after third grade, they read to learn. Instilling a love for reading at a young age is critical for academic and lifelong success. Third grade reading scores can predict a student’s likelihood to graduate high school.
According to the Texas School Readiness Dashboard, Texas ranks worst in the country in daily reading to young children, and third grade reading proficiency has been on a steady decline since 2018.
"Volunteering in the Women UNITED literacy program is a great way to meet the immediate needs of the community while helping build a foundation for a brighter future,” said Mary Jones, a Women UNITED volunteer. “It is also one of the few volunteer activities I've ever been in where the feedback from the work is immediate, positive, and HUGE! The kids clearly LOVE when we read to them!!”
Read Across America, the nation’s largest celebration of reading, is in full swing this week, inspiring children and teens to develop a lifelong love of books. This is the perfect time for volunteers to get involved with United Way’s early childhood literacy initiative to make a difference in the Denton County community.
Men and women volunteers are needed as reading buddies at schools in four school districts across the county: Denton, Lewisville, Northwest, and Lake Dallas. Volunteers can help promote literacy and impact our community’s children by signing up in just a few steps here.
Women UNITED is an affinity group of United Way of Denton County that empowers women to make an impact through networking, fundraising, volunteering, and education. More information is available at UnitedWayDenton.org/WomenUnited.