From coast to coast including Kenosha, more than 45 million readers participated in the nation’s largest reading celebration on March 2 — the National Education Association’s Read Across America Day.

If you’ve ever shared a book with a child, you know the joy and excitement this small but meaningful act can bring. Simply reading daily with a child does require parents, older siblings, and other caring adults to add yet another hat to the many they already wear to care for and raise a child. Yet, by adding the reading hat to your collection, you also add great rewards:

n Children who are read to at home have a higher success rate in school.n Children who read frequently develop stronger reading skills.n Children who read independently score higher on standardized tests.

As a teacher and parent, on behalf of the teachers of the Kenosha Education Association and Kenosha Unified, I ask everyone to participate in this worthwhile cause. Whether it is donating books to schools, reading to your children/grandchildren, or encouraging your children to read, everyone can do something every day to help children succeed at reading.

For more information on NEA’s Read Across America, go to www.nea.org/readacross.

Join together each day to ensure that Kenosha’s children have caring adults to share books and rich reading experiences.

Tami Rakow

Kenosha