Madeline Bialecki Blogs about the Powerful Impact of Reading

Madeline Bialecki is the Executive Director of the Delaware County Literacy Council. The DCLC works with adults who wish to read, write, speak, and understand English so as to improve their communication skills and enable them to participate more fully in society. For more information please go to their website.

Last month, we had our Black History Month celebration at the Literacy Council. This is one of my favorite events because it is an opportunity for adult learners to read in front of an audience.

One of the featured readers was a former student at the Literacy Council. Charlotte came to us almost twenty years ago, reading on a third-grade level. She worked with a tutor and brought her reading level up to a seventh-grade level. A few years ago, she told me she wanted to raise her reading skills to at least a ninth-grade level so that she could enjoy novels.

I do not remember the topic of the essay she read last week; what I do remember, though, is how much her reading has improved since last year’s Black History celebration.

The words flowed easily, and her voice rose and dropped for emphasis. She did not stumble over any words or hesitate even once. It was as if she were speaking from her heart rather than reading. I wondered how it was possible that her reading had improved so dramatically in just one year. And then I remembered something she had told me last winter.

About two years ago, Charlotte adopted a teenage boy, a child who has developmental disabilities. Knowing the positive impact raising her own literacy skills has had on her life, she wanted to ensure that her son could read. So she started to read to him every night. Gradually, as his own reading skills improved, he would read to her as well. They shared reading to one another, every day.

At the Literacy Council, we encourage adult learners to read every day—magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes. The reading material is not as important as the fact of reading. As in most things, practice leads to improvement.

As I listened to Charlotte’s voice, so comfortable reading the words on the page, so confident in her delivery, I wanted to shout out in praise of her accomplishment. I felt like a proud parent! I know that our part in Charlotte’s success was in teaching her the basics of reading and giving her some strategies to raise her literacy levels. She did the hard work of practicing, and she achieved this victory on her own.

March 2nd is Read Across America Day!

The National Education Association has named March 2nd “Read Across America” Day in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. This day means to emphasize the importance of parents reading to their children, especially during children’s younger years.

Here at United Way, one of our Initiatives is Born Learning: which emphasizes early childhood development. This means encouraging learning and parental involvement in these critical early years to further a child’s potential and future possibilities.

In honor of Read Across America Day and National Reading Month, United Way is holding a book drive across Delaware County! We will be collecting books for children ages 0-6 for Parenting Workshops we are helping sponsor with the Women’s Resource Center, J. Lewis Crozer Library, and Delaware County Family Centers. Donation boxes will be placed in various schools and organizations around the county, but if you can’t seem to find one you can donate to us directly by contacting the number below. Our Born Learning Book Drive is happening all month so if you see one of our donation boxes please make sure to donate to a great cause: Delaware County children’s futures.