Sunday, September 19, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Clark County Reads Program gives schools helping hand
Organization collects new and used books, recruits volunteers to help children and parents with reading
By SONYA PADGETT
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Since 2001, the Clark County Reads Program has worked to improve literacy among schoolchildren by putting new and used books in local school libraries.
Forty school libraries have received $515,000 worth of nonfiction books since May 2001, said assistant program manager Beth Sandoz.
The initiative, undertaken by the Clark County Public Education Foundation and funded through donations from businesses and individuals, also seeks to increase literacy rates by giving children their own books and providing volunteer reading partners for children and parents. During the past three years, the program has trained more than 500 volunteers from the community, but more are always welcome, Sandoz said.
Reading is important because it "enriches a person's life," program director Kay Carl said. "It gives information that is so essential for living in today's world."
But school funds only go so far in equipping libraries and classrooms with books. In elementary schools, the Clark County School District allocates an annual average of $7.72 per child per year, Sandoz said. That average drops to $5.60 per child in middle schools and $4.65 for high school students.
That's a fraction of the cost of a new book. Elementary-level books averaged $19.18 in 2003 and secondary-school books average $22.99, Sandoz noted.
"So it takes two elementary students to get one library book," she said.
The latest Clark County Reads program, Reading is Fundamental, enables schools to give children three books per year to take home, Sandoz said. Putting books into the homes helps increase children's literacy, she added.
According to program statistics, 7 percent of Clark County residents have great difficulty reading, while 44 percent can read, but not well.
A low reading level can cause problems in the job market, affecting a person's overall income.
Clark County Reads statistics also state that 43 percent of people who have difficulty with basic reading live in poverty, 17 percent receive food stamps and 70 percent have no job or a part-time job.
For information on volunteering or donating money or books for children 3 to 17 years old, contact the program at 799-5437.
