Read to Kids! is a Hands On Inland Empire project dedicated to inspiring children from underserved communities and motivating them to read, thereby enriching their lives and providing opportunities for their future success.

On the second Saturday of each month, between 9 a.m. and noon, volunteers meet to host a “Reading Club” for the students of Virginia Primrose Elementary School in Fontana, CA.

Reading aloud to children helps spark a love of books that leads to improved literacy, a more fruitful and successful education and a brighter and more productive future. Imagine a Saturday morning in which instead of sleeping late or watching television, kids are surrounded by fun, enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. As the children are read to with their friends and classmates they become captivated by the books and developing a passion for reading.


How the Program Works

8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Volunteers check in, enjoy breakfast, mingle, and peruse the reading club books which have been pre-selected for the month.

9:00 – 9:30 a.m.
New volunteer attend a training session that introduces them to the school and to some of the best practices utilized in the Read To Kids! program. Returning volunteers receive refresher training at 9:15 a.m.

9:30 – 10:00 a.m.
New and returning volunteers prepare for the reading club sessions together. Grade-level coordinators guide book discussions, answer questions, discuss arts and craft activity ideas, and help finalize volunteer pairings. Volunteers are paired together to read to a group of seven to ten kids.

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Volunteers accompany kids to an open-door classroom for the reading club session. The session includes reading to the kids, discussion of themes and ideas in the book, and an arts and crafts project related to the book being read. At the end of the session, volunteers provide each child with a brand-new book of his or her own as a reward for attending.

To ensure everyone's safety and comfort-level, teachers roam the hallways monitoring the sessions and providing assistance as needed. In addition, while the reading clubs are taking place, teachers provide training to the parents of the attending children on how to continue the benefits of the reading club by reading to their children at home.

11:30 – 12:00
Everyone gathers together to debrief and volunteers are dismissed by noon.
An opportunity to gather socially for lunch follows each session from noon to 1:30 p.m.

About the School

Virginia Primrose Elementary School is a Title I, multi-track year-round school serving 765 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The ethnicity of the students is: 95% Hispanic, 3% African American, 1% Caucasian, and 1% Asian. Most of the families of the students come from a low socioeconomic disadvantaged home environment. As such, the school's mission is to provide a positive and safe environment where the students are challenged to develop their academic and creative potential so they can lead successful lives in the world.

The School is very fortunate to have new and experienced teachers eager to make a difference in the lives of  the students. The staff members consider themselves fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the unique students that are a vital part of their diverse community. The school’s learning environment is filled with compassion; students, teachers, and visitors are met with respect, consideration and cooperation each day. Children are our focus at Virginia Primrose Elementary.

"We hope you will have the opportunity to meet our students -- bettering their lives and our community through books." -- Darlene Duquette, School Principal

Sign up to Read:
To sign up for this project, please select which grade you would prefer to read to. We will do our best to ensure you read to the grade-level that you select. Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.

Click here to sign up and select the grade you wish to read to.

Note: If you sign up as a reader, please honor your commitment to attend. If you need to cancel, be sure to log-in to the website, go to the member center (left menu), click on the MY PROJECTS tab at the top of the page, and click the REMOVE ME button. This way we can recruit another volunteer to take your place and ensure all the kids in attendance are read to.

Thanks to our Read to Kids! Sponsors:

If you're interested in reading in the downtown Los Angeles area, or for more information about the "reading club" concept, click here.