Barbara Bush literacy foundation offers virtual tales — so listen up, kids
When a budding coronavirus pandemic forced schools to close in Houston, the team at the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation was concerned about children’s education and the amount of support families would need to continue it from home. They came up with the We Read initiative, which has blossomed into a collection of more than 100 virtual readings on the foundation’s web page, bushhoustonliteracy.org and the foundation’s YouTube page.
“Reading aloud is one of the most important things that families can do to support their child academically,” said Dr. Julie Baker Finck, the foundation’s president. It also creates parent-child bonds and provides a welcome mental escape from the ongoing crisis, she added.
School closures initially happened in March, then were extended through April, and then through the end of the academic year. On top of this, many children, especially economically disadvantaged ones, experience what Baker Finck calls “the summer learning slide.” This loss of learning during the summer months and its compounding effect with the coronavirus-related shutdowns is another reason the foundation wanted to get a virtual program off the ground.
“Even though they’re offering distance learning, we recognize that children aren’t getting the full experience of school,” she said.
About 80 people have shared recordings of themselves reading a children’s book, mostly board and picture books.
Six Bush family members have participated, as well as Mayor Sylvester Turner, various corporate partner and local authors reading their own books (including Houston Chronicle reporter Joy Sewing).
There are currently read-alouds available in five languages: English, Spanish,
Chinese, Arabic and Italian.
“We know that children have different native languages at home and we want to honor and respect that,” said Baker Finck. “Plus, we have a lot of kids who are learning a second language through their school, but they don’t have a parent who can speak (that language).”
We Read launched the third week of March and was an instant success. The videos are promoted on social media and some school districts have been using them as resources in their own virtual classrooms. The foundation is uploading more content every day and is committed to the initiative through the summer. But they also anticipate continued interest and hope to maintain the program in a post-pandemic future.