Reading Is Fundamental Reading Program Rifsocal

Leo Migdal

-Dec 12, 2025, 7:17 AM

reading is fundamental reading program rifsocal

RIF was recognized as the Most Trusted Brand and Brand of the Year in the Youth Non-Profit category in the 2024 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study Children's Center (H.S. Mountain View), Mountain View School District “What an astonishing thing a book is. It's a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you're inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years.

Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic." Carol Henault, the Executive Director of Reading Is Fundamental of Southern California, speaks with enthusiasm and a sense of delight as she describes her journey in the nonprofit world. Tell Me Another Story, is an inspiring 30-minute overview of diversity in children’s literature that highlights the dedication of intellectual and artistic giants, past and present, whose efforts have uplifted children’s literature, from W.E.B.

Du Bois, Augusta Baker, Pura Belpré and Ezra Jack Keats, to Pat Cummings, Marley Dias, Grace Lin, Christopher Myers, and Andrea Davis Pinkney. It clarifies the enormous need for us to tell our children another, more inclusive story. This is a film you will want to share with your students, colleagues and friends. Create reading joy this holiday season in school and at home with two author-led read-alouds to ring in the season. Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) connects children with the joy of reading to spark imaginations and possibilities, putting kids on a path of reading proficiency. Because every child deserves the chance to succeed.

Reading Is Fundamental is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Reading Is Fundamental and our partners work to change the trajectory of the alarming U.S. literacy crisis, which creates barriers between our nation’s children and their opportunities. children in the U.S. cannot read proficiently. Reading Is Fundamental, Inc.

(RIF) is the oldest and largest non-profit children's literacy organization in the United States. RIF provides books (print and digital) and reading resources to children nationwide with supporting literacy resources for educators, families, and community volunteers. In 1966, while reading to children at a school in Washington, D.C., Margaret McNamara, wife of the United States Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, was surprised to learn that many of the students did not have any books of their own. With the help of Lynda Johnson Robb[6] and Arthur White,[7] Kathryn Wentzel Lumley was one of the organization's co-founders.[8][9] After early organizational meetings with other educators in D.C., McNamara secured a $150,000 grant from the Ford Foundation to support pilot activities in the District of Columbia throughout 1967, including the launch of a...

At the time of McNamara's death in 1981, RIF had provided "more than 3 million poor children with 37 million books."[11] Beginning in the 1970s, RIF began to receive annual federal appropriations which enabled the organization to expand its reach and impact for children in communities nationwide, focusing on at-risk children including those from low-income... Authorized in federal legislation, RIF contracted with the U.S. Department of Education to administer the National Inexpensive Book Distribution Program[12] for more than 30 years. In 2001, Carol Rasco, the former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and later United States Secretary of Education Richard Riley, became the president and CEO of RIF, succeeding former Bryant University president William... Trueheart who served in that role from 1997 to 2001.[13] Ruth Graves led the organization from 1975 to 1997.[14][15] In 2011, Congress eliminated congressionally-directed spending and thus federal funding for RIF.[16][17] RIF then began...

Reading Is Fundamental of Southern California is the country’s largest RIF program. Our work to close the opportunity gap one book at a time empowers young minds to embrace the world of reading and develop a As of our 50th anniversary in 2022, we had

The program provides education services for youth who live in Los Angeles County. Reading Is Fundamental’s (RIF’s) program and content offerings provide books and resources for families, educators, and literacy advocates to create a culture of reading in the classroom and at home. Giving children choice and access to new, age-appropriate books to take home and own is positively tied to reading behaviors including motivation, frequency, and engagement—which lead to enhanced reading and writing performance, language development,... Of children living at or below the poverty line in America have no books at home. In some of the lowest-income neighborhoods, there is just 1 book for every 833 children. Research demonstrates that the presence of books in the home impacts academic outcomes for children.

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) addresses the critical need for book ownership through our Books for Ownership program and Skybrary digital library. RIFSOCAL takes special pride in providing children the opportunity to choose and take home free books to create their own home libraries, inspiring them to read for fun and pleasure. Our highest priority is reaching underserved children from pre-K to 4th grade In the past 36 years we have grown into a far-reaching program that has an enormous impact on children, families, schools, and... The achievement of all children must matter to all of us. External link for Reading Is Fundamental of Southern California RIFSoCal is dedicated to promoting literacy and motivating children to read by building at-home libraries for underserved children in Greater Los Angeles.

Unique in its scope and methods, RIFSoCal helps children discover the joy of reading by providing access to books and the motivation to read them. RIFSoCal makes reading fun through planned activities where the children choose and keep books, at no cost to them or their families. RIFSoCal youngsters can always count on: Books to choose, own, take home, and enjoy with their families. Adult-led activities – to spark their imaginations and inspire them to read. Support from parents and community members who want to make a difference.

When youngsters open books, they open their minds to the future and RIFSoCal Inspires Readers for Tomorrow! Connecting more than 200,000 organizations with millions of people looking for social-impact jobs and volunteer opportunities.

Reading Is Fundamental Reading Program Rifsocal

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RIF Was Recognized As The Most Trusted Brand And Brand

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Du Bois, Augusta Baker, Pura Belpré And Ezra Jack Keats,

Reading Is Fundamental Is A 501(c)(3) Non-profit Reading Is Fundamental

(RIF) Is The Oldest And Largest Non-profit Children's Literacy Organization