NAACP plans reading initiative in Chattanooga next month

Joyce Knox talks about a new reading program Friday, October 9, 2015 in the NAACP office.
Joyce Knox talks about a new reading program Friday, October 9, 2015 in the NAACP office.

Too many poor and minority students struggle in school and, instead of graduating and getting a job, many end up in jail, local NAACP chapter President Dr. Elenora Woods said.

"We can break this cycle of children being prepared for prison instead of college," she said.

The NAACP believes books and bonding are the solution, and the chapter is beginning its "Read to Lead" effort in November. The initiative promotes the importance of reading to children even before they are born, according to a news release.

The NAACP plans to reserve rooms every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at area Youth and Family Development Centers, pending availability. The group will notify participants of any location changes.

Joyce Knox, director of the reading program, is also working with youth to develop an NAACP choir.

photo Dr. Elenora Woods talks about a new reading program Friday, October 9, 2015 in the NAACP office.

Youth ages 4 to 18 interested in singing may come to the Southside Youth and Family Development Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, she said.

Knox said she may divide time with youth between reading and singing when Lead to Read starts.

Hamilton County's Read 20 literacy program will partner with the NAACP to provide books to youth and organize book clubs.

Shawn Kurrelmeier-Lee, chief reading officer for Read 20, said the partnership enables Read 20 to reach deeper into the community.

"In certain sections of town, the poverty is so deep that people don't have hope, and it's hard for them to look for hope for their children," she said. "If we can get to them, we can get awareness built up."

Read 20 wants to spread the message that reading just 20 minutes a day to a child from birth until he starts school will enable the child to be prepared for school regardless of his economic background.

Research states that, by age 6, children in higher-income families have a vocabulary of about 20,000 words. That's compared to low-income families, where a child might have a 3,000-word vocabulary. So some low-income students are already behind when they enroll in school, she said.

Reading is a way to overcome some challenges of poverty, but some parents don't know that, Kurrelmeier-Lee said.

Some 16 percent of children not reading proficiently by the end of third grade do not graduate high school on time, a rate four times greater than that for competent readers, according to the report "Double Jeopardy" by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The NAACP wants to increase parents' awareness of the importance of reading and bonding with their children. They hope to partner with pediatricians and obstetricians to promote the importance of parents reading to children, even while they are in the womb.

"When you raise awareness and educate parents about what they need to do then people will start doing it," Woods said. "You can improve that child's IQ by bonding, talking with the child and reading."

Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at 423-757-6431 or yputman@timesfreepress.com.

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