One of the truisms of education policy is that an individual must learn to read before he or she can read to learn. If the former is not achieved, the latter is nearly impossible — and success in school and in life is compromised. Any program, then, that promotes reading — especially in the formative years — is a community asset. That’s certainly the case with the 24 neighborhood reading centers that now operate in Hamilton County.
Four of the centers — at the Avondale Recreation Center, the Eastdale Recreation Center, the Harriet Tubman Development Site and the Washington Hills Recreation Center — are new. If they operate with the same view of education and the same dedicated service as the other sites, they should prove immensely valuable to the residents of the localities where they operate.
It is difficult to say which of the several services provided by the centers is the most valuable. Certainly, the availability of a place where reading is respected and encouraged is a useful adjunct to the education process. So is the fact that the centers strive to make age-appropriate books and books on the Hamilton County Schools summer reading lists available at no charge. The latter can make a difference for parents and guardians who encourage their children to read but find the cost of books beyond their often limited means.
The centers also serve a broader educational purpose. Reading during the summer hiatus promotes retention of knowledge gained during the previous academic year, “The research is very profound, ” says Lu Lewis, assistant director of the United Way of Greater Chattanooga’s Project Ready for School. “It’s universally accepted. If you do not read over the summer, you lose up to two months [of knowledge]. If you read, you maintain or exceed what you’ve learned.”
Each of the neighborhood centers has programs tailored specifically to the needs of nearby residents. Some offer preschool and elementary programs. Others provide middle and high school programs as well. Each center establishes its own hours of operation and book lending terms. Such local control allows for efficient use of the facilities.
Commissioners Warren Mackey and Gregg Beck contributed $2,500 apiece from their Hamilton County discretionary funds to jump-start the new centers. The contributions are welcome, but should not obscure the fact that a consortium of public agencies, private groups, including churches and neighborhood associations, the United Way and the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library, play major roles in the creation and operation of the centers.
The neighborhood centers are the result of a collaborative civic effort. There are many examples here that prove such a formula is essential to community growth. The network of reading centers is among the most unsung of them.