Rye Elementary School Participating in Reading Program

Rye Elementary School is participating in the Motheread/Fatheread reading program. This innovative program is for parents, grandparents, caregivers, guardians, etc. to come together to discuss how to share a children’s book at home with their kids and help them to explore certain themes with their children.

Maggie DiMatteo, Brandy Burbidge, and Earlene Jones trained for this program over the summer to bring the program to Rye Elementary. This is a free program from the Colorado Humanities Foundation that lets you practice reading to your child and have fun with other parents while you do.

Colorado Humanities, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was established in 1974 as a result of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, and the subsequent founding of the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH). They provide programs at no cost to participants and reach an estimated 340,000 people each year as program partners, participants, and audiences.

The first Motheread/Fatheread session at Rye Elementary was held on Wednesday, February 7. The sessions will be held for six weeks on Wednesdays after school from 3:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. in the Rye Elementary cafeteria until the final Wednesday on March 13th. Snacks and childcare will be provided. All parents or interested parties of Rye Elementary children aged preschool up to second grade are invited to attend.

The books and the reading program are designed to pave the way for conversations about topics children need to learn about that might otherwise be difficult to introduce. The themes explored are expressing needs and feelings, establishing independence, understanding what families value, sharing and cooperating, and self-possibilities.

The participants will get to keep the children’s books that are used in the program to explore these themes.

Pueblo County School District 70 Board of Education member Cathy Howland said, “Please, if you are a parent of any elementary student, please attend. Early reading is so important! Indicative of latter success at school, read to your child! Have them read to you.”

Reading aloud builds bonds, boosts language skills, sparks the imagination, and results in better communication, reasoning abilities, critical thinking, and decision- making skills. Join together and celebrate the joy of reading with your children and their loved ones. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to create lasting memories and a love for reading with your family.

For more information, contact Maggie DiMatteo at mdimatteo@ district70.org