“The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading, is reading aloud to children—-even when they are very young.”
— On Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report on the Commission on Reading

Read Aloud Delaware volunteer readers are welcomed by a room full of excited children whenever they enter a preschool classroom. 

Each reading encounter is an opportunity to introduce children from 1 to 5 years old to the world of literacy and to spark the desire to become readers.

While looking at the colorful books and listening to the reader, children hear new words; learn new facts about animals or trees; have a personal experience with the alphabet, numbers, colors or shapes; learn how to have a conversation with an adult; and hear grammatically-correct English. 

Research has shown that children who are read to from an early age have bigger brains, larger vocabularies, and greater knowledge of the world around them.

Most importantly, they are more likely to have mastered language skills which will permit them to interact appropriately with their teachers and their peers. These skills will help them succeed in school and in life.

Success in the early grades leads to less need for costly and intensive remediation. More experience listening to stories helps children develop their brains and helps close the achievement gap. 

Children who are read to, talked to and sung to every day from birth in verbal households will have heard 30 MILLION more words by age 3 than children who grow up in less educated and less verbal environments.

This language gap is almost insurmountable and creates the achievement gap. Read Aloud Delaware volunteers are reading every day to counteract this effect. 

Children who read one-on-one with Read Aloud Delaware volunteers are:

  • More likely to be employed as adults

  • Less likely to drop out of school

  • Less likely to depend on public assistance

The Read Aloud Delaware experience sets children on the road to literacy success.

This is why we are passionate about reading aloud to Delaware's youngest children. Are you ready to help by becoming a volunteer or making a financial investment in our mission?