ALEXANDRIA, VA--(Marketwire - Feb 28, 2013) - The National PTA® today announced Amazon Kindle will be the exclusive sponsor of a new Family Reading Experience program to be hosted by local PTAs in cities across the United States. Throughout 2013, the National PTA and Kindle will work together to encourage family involvement with their children's reading.
Children develop a love of reading when parents are consistently involved, especially children between the ages of 7-11 who are graduating from picture books to chapter books. At this age they are beginning to explore everything that reading has to offer. In fact, parental involvement and access to books has a greater impact on kids' reading skills than household income, according to the 2013 Kids & Family Reading Report by Scholastic.
"National PTA is honored to work with Kindle to provide parents with proven techniques for improving their child's reading fluency, comprehension and passion," said National PTA President Betsy Landers. "The role of families in literacy does not end when children enter school. Families' continued interest, involvement, concern and caring make a significant difference in this crucial area of learning."
"Making reading more accessible and more enjoyable is a core mission at Amazon. We are thrilled to be working with the National PTA to help parents get their kids excited about reading," said Neil Lindsay, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. "Reading is just more fun when you can access millions of books quickly, carry your library with you and look up words in the dictionary, which is how Kindles can help children read more."
The PTA Family Reading Experience, Powered by Kindle, is a set of free activities that engage the entire family. The activities focus on improving the reading skills of children between kindergarten and fifth grade. The program is designed to be easy for PTAs to implement events within their schools and to help teach strategies to parents and other adults for participating in their children's reading process, with the goals of improving their children's reading comprehension and motivation.
The program brings together phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary, and includes activities with both physical books and e-books. The National PTA developed the curriculum in consultation with family engagement and literacy experts.
As the "Official E-reader of the National PTA," Amazon Kindle will donate Kindles for the National PTA to distribute to PTAs in low-income or at-risk schools.
National PTA has piloted the PTA Family Reading Experience in ten schools in Baltimore, MD and Albuquerque, NM, receiving positive feedback from the attendees:
"Some families like ours have a ton of books at home. But what makes this program so great is that it gives families who don't have so many books the same opportunity to read with their children." - Jocelyne L., PTA president and mother of three boys
"When parents encourage reading at home, the kids see that it can be fun. At school, they see it as work." - Shiquetta D., kindergarten teacher
"Technology is widely used by kids today. Some people aren't fortunate to have their own (devices) at home, but they still need to know how to use them. At [a] Family Reading [Experience], families can use the Kindles and make reading fun for their kids." - Keya C., mother of a second grader
National PTA will make the curriculum available for PTAs nationwide starting in March --
National Reading Month. PTA parents interested in bringing the PTA Family Reading Experience, Powered by Kindle, to their schools can learn more at PTA.org/familyreading. PTA membership is required to access the full set of program resources. In addition, Amazon customers can learn more about Kindle for kids at www.amazon.com/kindleforkids.
About National PTA
National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth.
To view this release in a media-rich format, go to: http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2013/national_pta/kindle/
Editor's Note: B-roll and photography from the pilot events are available for download and use by the media with proper credit to the National PTA. Please visit http://www.viddler.com/v/71cd0b06 to access the video and http://flic.kr/s/aHsjE8YmAF to access the photographs.
Contact Information:
Abi Weaver
National PTA
571-329-9355