According to Lucas County Read For Literacy, more than 750 children in Lucas County are not ready to read when they enter kindergarten.

More than a third of the children who enter Toledo Public Schools’ kindergarten classes score in the lowest tier on the state-mandated Kindergarten Readiness Assessment Test, RFL states.

The Creating Young Readers Program was developed to combat the literacy issue.

According to Cheryl Amborski, childcare coordinator at the East Toledo Family Center, the program began in 2009 and currently serves has eight children, ages 3 and 4.

Jacob Knoblauch reads to Andrew Carpenter

“It is better if you can catch them (children) early,” Amborski said. “The earlier they start reading, the more they start to pick up.”

Volunteers read to children on a one-on-one basis using a technique known as Dialogic Reading. For extra fun and practice, children are given books to take home.

Participants are tested a few times per year and the first class of young readers is showing great progress, Amborski reports.

“We have seen tremendous progress with those able to read to consistently,” Amborski said. “We do “Get It, Got It, Go” testing, which involves picture naming, rhyming, etc. They are tested at the beginning of the term then again in the middle and at the end of the year. We have seen the children gain five cards per session.”

Children are selected by age, as well as how well they do on tests in the preschool, Amborski said.

“We pick the youngest children, which will allow us two years to track their progress,” she said. “Those that score in the lowest 30 percent in their class for reading preparedness are picked for the program. The children are considered ‘at risk’ kids based on family income. The majority of the children are in Head Start.”

Funded through RFL as well as grants through the Stranahan Foundation, the program’s goal is to change lives. “It is a very important program. The sooner we can get children interested in books the better,” Amborski said. “The love of reading will carry with them throughout their educational careers. A lot of kids in the community do not have an opportunity to be read to. They may have parents who are not able to read or have the time because they are bouncing between jobs to support their family. A great foundation of reading will help them in their education as well as hopefully allow them to go on to higher education and have better lives in the future.”

Volunteers for the program are always needed. Volunteers are trained at the Lucas County Public Library’s Main Branch.

“All of the volunteers are people from throughout the community,” Amborski said. “There are those who want to give time to help a child read. Some are retired and some are working in businesses and just want to help kids out.”

For more information or to become a volunteer, call RFL at 419-242-7323.‎