SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — In what is a staggering number, 82 percent of children from low-income families read below grade level. That is according to a study by the National Center of Education. In San Diego, the non-profit Traveling Stories is doing its best to help with this problem, as they are motivating kids, from first to third grades, to enjoy reading.
"We are a magical organization that helps kids' dreams come true," says Traveling Stories Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Christelle Ballentyne. "We don't teach children to read we actually help them fall in love with reading, and we do that through one-on-one mentoring programs."
Traveling Stories found that many kids they work with are about two years behind in reading literacy. This is due to many reasons, including COVID, which forced kids to school from home. The nonprofit also said a lack of motivation was also a major factor.
"A lot of the kids in our program are ADHD," says systems manager Bethany Moberly. "They struggle to sit down and read, or reading is boring, or reading is very hard. Some can't sound out the words, don't read well, and are really embarrassed."
Statistics show that reluctant readers can struggle as they progress to their high school years.
"Children who don't read proficiently by the 4th grade are fifteen times more likely to drop out of school, which is awful," says Moberly.
So in an effort to motivate kids to read, and get them to love reading, Traveling Stories pairs up the young kids with volunteer mentors to provide literary support and encouragement.
"Many mentor-child pairs really enjoy their meeting," says Moberly.
"If a child does not want to read, we find other ways to engage them in the process," says Ballentyne. "We might hold up a book visually and point to pictures and count pictures, and look at colors."
The non-profit realizes the power of books and the importance of reading. A good book with a simple story can make kids' dreams come true.
"I think the magic of literacy is we learn about each other, we learn about community, and we learn about ourselves. That makes us all better humans."
