Original Source: WeAreIowa.com
By Melissa Higgins
DES MOINES - We all know that reading to kids as often as possible is a good thing, right? A new program launched by the United Way in Des Moines is backing up that idea-- with some action.
It's called the "Read to Succeed" program, a brand new grassroots public awareness campaign launched during a news conference at Greenwood Elementary School in Des Moines on Tuesday. The idea is to engage parents, teachers, and everybody else in the community to take action to ensure students are able to read proficiently by third grade.
"All of us can help the effort by volunteering to read to children in local schools and by reading with, and encouraging your own children to read. Everyone here today can take action by spreading the word about the importance of grade level reading and the Read to Succeed campaign," said Ryan Wise, the Director of the Iowa Department of Education.
Nearly 25% of third grade students in Polk, Dallas and Warren County do not read proficiently. United Way has set a goal to decrease that to only 10 percent in the next four years.