Mayor Villaraigosa to Launch Citywide “Read to Me L.A.”
Early Literacy Program & Announce Opening of
Library’s 18th Adult Literacy Center at
Press Conference October 24, 11 a.m. at Echo Park Branch

Joined by children and their parents, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Librarian Fontayne Holmes will launch “Read to Me L.A.,” a new early literacy program that teaches parents and caregivers how to read to their preschool children, at a press conference on Wednesday, October 24, at 11 a.m., at the Echo Park Branch, 1410 W. Temple St.  The Mayor will also announce the opening of the library’s newest Adult Literacy Center, which is located in the branch.

Reading to young children plays a critical role in helping them develop essential literacy skills and succeed in school.  Yet, less than half of local children ages 5 and younger are read to by their parents, according to a recent Los Angeles County Health survey.  According to LAUSD, 73 percent of third and seventh graders scored below the national average in reading.

“Read to Me L.A.” storytimes, held at the Central Library and all 71 branches, teach parents and caregivers how to read to their preschool children.  Parents learn how to bring books into their home, how to read to their children daily and how to give their children the skills they need to become readers.  Parents also receive free books, booklists and tips so they can continue building their children’s reading skills daily.  Read to Me L.A. is presented with major support from Target and supported by RGK Foundation, Union Bank of California, Northrop Grumman, The Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation, Erteszek Family Foundation, Wells Fargo, and Hilton Hotels Corporation, through the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.

“Read to Me LA is the first leg of our race toward improved literacy rates and reading scores and we cannot stop until our students reach the finish line of academic excellence,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “This represents a renewed effort to infuse our education system with City resources and raise student achievement rates over the long term.”

With more than 50 percent of the Los Angeles area’s working-age population suffering from low literacy skills, the Library also recognizes the importance of building literacy skills in adults and has expanded its Adult Literacy program with a newly opened literacy center at the Echo Park Branch.  The center provides free computers, books and volunteer tutors to English-speaking adults who read and write below a sixth-grade level. This is the Library’s 18th Literacy Center in the city. 

Information about “Read to Me L.A.” programs is available at the Central Library, all 71 branches and online at www.lapl.org/kidspath.  A list of Literacy Center locations is available online at www.lapl.org/literacycenters.

To support the Los Angeles Public Library, call (213) 228-7500 or visit www.lfla.org.

The Los Angeles Public Library serves the largest urban population of any library in the country.  Its Central Library, 71 branch libraries, more than six million books and state-of-the-art technology provide everyone with free and easy access to information and the opportunity for life-long learning.

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10/23/07