Published: March 11, 2021
March is “Read Across America Month.” To mark the occasion, the Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA is sponsoring a contest to promote youngsters’ reading. The contest is being held throughout the month of March at sites at which the Y provides Child Care services. These include elementary schools in Haleyville, Buena, Quinton, Collings Lakes, Deerfield, Cleary, and Mullica Township. Three schools in Somers Point are part of the program. The Millville and Vineland charter schools are also participating. The YMCA’s own Preschool rounds out the list. Kids aged three to thirteen are involved.
The contest winner will be the site with the highest percentage of books that have been read. Parents have been given links to record each book that their children have read or been read to. When parents enter the books that have been read, these are linked as a chain. The YMCA’s goal is to see how long the chain can grow; the sites are attempting to win the grand prize, a pizza party.
Theresa Booth, the Y’s senior director of Child Development, said, “Research has shown that COVID learning loss has placed students significantly behind where we would expect their reading levels. The Read Across America Month contest is one way that we can encourage parents to engage their children in reading and to give the students a fun goal.”
For more information the Read Across America program, please call the Booth at (856)691-0030, extension 113 or check www.ccaymca.org.
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PHOTO CAPTION March 1 marked the start of "Read Across America Month.” This includes the reading links challenge, a contest for thirteen elementary programs throughout South Jersey. The event encourages kids to read or to be read to. Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA staff member Carol Robinson Cintron of the Before and After SACC program is shown here encouraging five year old Kamyla Mason and ten year old Axel Sandoval to read and earn their "Reading Links" as part of the contest, The project is hosted by at the YMCA Virtual/ Before and After Schools Programs.