To celebrate the milestone of 100 million children served since its founding in 1966, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) announced today the launch of Rally to Read 100—a six-month initiative that runs from September 1, 2021 to March 2, 2022, that unites classrooms and communities across the country to inspire and motivate children to read 100 books during this time. Educators, students, and families can take this pledge as a commitment to drive reading frequency and engagement for young readers in their lives.
After more than a year of significant learning disruptions, RIF is dedicated to providing educators with new and exciting ways to spark students’ reading passion as they head back into the classrooms this Fall. They are launching an engaging series of new monthly content that includes: virtual read-alouds with notable and diverse authors and illustrators; 10,000 books in prizes, with an opportunity for individual schools to be awarded 100 diverse books for their library or classrooms; interactive activities for educators, families, and students; and a high-spirited Read Across America Day event on March 2, 2022. Beginning today, the monthly read-alouds, extension activities, reading activities, and book lists are available at RallytoRead.org.
Noting how 25 million children in the U.S. cannot read proficiently, with millions more falling behind on basic reading skills because of COVID-19, Reading Is Fundamental President and CEO Alicia Levi said, “Rally to Read is a simple yet compelling initiative to unite our nation’s educators, students, and families around the importance of reading to re-engage our children in a life-long love of reading, curiosity about the world, and passion for exploration and growth through books. We take tremendous pride in serving more than 100 million children over our 56-year history, and are excited to launch this inaugural initiative across America at such a critical time.”
