The Read to Me ELP™ was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to advance the mission of:
- Improving access by young children to good quality literature
- Increasing the amount of time that young children are read to
- Providing resources to parents to ensure that they can read regularly to their young children
- Encouraging young children’s love of reading and books
- Expanding area executives’ connections to public schools and awareness of the importance of reading aloud to young children
- Developing the business community’s support of local schools and young children
Read to Me is used every day in Philadelphia public schools and day care centers. The participating sites are selected based on income needs, school resource needs, school test scores, and site interest level. Participating classrooms are preschool age (ages 3-5) up to second grade (ages 8-9).
The Program has expanded, and is now used by numerous school districts in western Pennsylvania, the suburbs of Philadelphia, and northern Pennsylvania. All children can benefit from the program whatever their family income.
Lynn Rosenthal is a nationally-recognized reading specialist with over 30 years of teaching experience in Philadelphia city schools. Ms. Rosenthal developed the program to level the educational playing field so that all children can become successful readers.
She holds an undergraduate degree in early childhood education and a master’s degree in reading.
“I designed this program to give every child the fundamental building blocks to succeed as a learner. Children need to develop the ‘language of school’ to be successful learners in the standard educational system.
If they have not been read to at home as a young child, they are not armed with the foundational or background knowledge to successfully process information presented in a typical elementary school system.
Once this knowledge gap develops, it grows larger and larger for many children. My program is designed to close that learning gap and give all children equal opportunities to be successful in school and in life.”
The Creator