YouthQuest instills literacy skills during National Reading Month

March marks National Reading Month – a month coinciding with Dr. Seuss’s birthday. The month aims to encourage people of all ages to participate in reading.

“We support students reading all year long,” says Nefertari Jones, program director of YouthQuest. “However, we’re doubling our efforts during National Reading Month.”

Reading is a lifelong skill although, according to statistics from the Literacy Project, only one-third of fourth-graders reach the proficient reading level in the United States. YouthQuest aims to ensure students have proper literacy skills at all grade levels.

Some of the ways in which YouthQuest sites will instill reading skills during National Reading Month include:

• Reading Dr. Seuss books to celebrate his birthday (March 2)
• Encouraging students to read by continuing to run book clubs
• Providing students with their favorite books
• Coordinating reading challenges
• Reading stories out loud together during program
• Showcasing authors from Flint to encourage students who may be interested in writing

With these activities and other ongoing activities that YouthQuest sites coordinate, the hope is to cultivate life-long readers. Literacy is an important skill that a child will carry throughout their life, and it’s one that starts with reading a book.

YouthQuest is made possible through the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.