READING IS FUNDAMENTAL KICKS OFF NATIONAL READING MONTH WITH THE MILLION BOOK MARCH CAMPAIGN AND RIF’S NEW LITERACY CENTRAL APP

Washington, DC, March 05, 2018 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                             

CONTACT: Beth Meyer, Reading Is Fundamental Chief Marketing Officer

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL KICKS OFF NATIONAL READING MONTH WITH THE MILLION BOOK MARCH CAMPAIGN AND

RIF’S NEW LITERACY CENTRAL APP  

-- Reading Is Fundamental Announces Launch of Free Resources and Events during National Reading Month --

Washington, DC (March 5, 2018) - Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is launching a month-long celebration filled with free resources and national and local activities to support and highlight the transformative power of reading. This multi-tiered campaign encourages students across the United States to read a collective one million books during National Reading Month. A cornerstone of RIF’s efforts is Million Book March which features an interactive online book counter and daily readerboard, a full complement of customizable online materials for download, and a special curated collection of books and free literacy tools, including games, activities, and videos. Also launching as part of National Reading Month is RIF’s new Literacy Central App, a one-stop mobile reading support for students, educators and parents, created with the generous support of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

 “As our children grow and learn in this digital age, literacy remains the foundation for their individual life journeys. With more than 25 million U.S. children not reading proficiently, we need creative solutions that engage young learners and the adults who support them,” said Alicia Levi, Reading Is Fundamental President and CEO. “Million Book March is designed to inspire children to explore the excitement and fun of reading with interactive elements and options that help them to chart their own literary adventures. We’ve also joined forces with long-time partner the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to meet the reading needs of today’s children with relevant tools accessed through the launch of RIF’s Literacy Central App.”

Funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, RIF’s Literacy Central App provides on-the-go access to over 5,000 literacy resources, including engaging word games, educator guides, activities, and videos. For the first time, parents and educators have access to Literacy Central’s trusted resources just by scanning a children’s book ISBN (International Standard Book Number) barcode. The free new app is available for download beginning March 5 via the App Store on Apple and Android platforms. Information is also available on www.rif.org/literacycentral.

Million Book March enables young readers across the country to join the challenge together through an online live book counter and daily readerboard. Each time a child completes a book, his or her teacher or parent can tally their achievements through RIF’s live book counter at www.rif.org/millionbookmarch.  In addition, the readerboard feature allows schools, community groups and other partners around the country to compete to see who can read the most books during the month. 

Million Book March digital assets and materials are designed to help parents, educators, and community leaders plan events and activities to engage young readers with a toolkit featuring posters, flyers, activity sheets, certificates, bookmarks, online banners and more to organize local events. 

For National Reading Month, RIF is highlighting a number of activities and tools to inspire young readers throughout the month including:

• RIF and National Education Association (NEA) Read Across America:

RIF is partnering with NEA all month long to encourage reading each day during National Reading Month. Activities kicked off with with RIF and the NEA bring award-winning authors Kwame Alexander, Jesse Holland and Gene Luen Yang, along with other local authors to host a reading extravaganza for more than 350 local students in Washington DC. Students, teachers and parents can enjoy the virtual Q&A via http://bit.ly/2FraS6U

• National and Local Partners and Community Engagement:

RIF’s National Reading Month activities are supported by a diverse group of partners including the Department of Education and national sororities Kappa Kappa Gamma and Pi Beta Phi helping to coordinate read-aloud events for children in communities across the country.

• RIF invites CEO’s and corporate leaders across the U.S. to visit their local schools or community sites and to take time to read aloud to children from a favorite book. Reading Is Fundamental will assist by identifying locations for interested leaders and providing a RIF Reading Kit.

ABOUT RIF: 

Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is committed to a literate America by inspiring a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content to create impact, and engaging communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success. As the nation's largest non-profit organization for children's literacy, RIF has provided more than 413 million books, impacting the lives of 40 million kids in all 50 states.

ABOUT NEA:

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing nearly 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.

Attachment:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1cb4a89c-13f9-4b4c-934a-fd2a5c27b731

Beth Meyer
Reading Is Fundamental
2025363492
[email protected]