Family Reading Supports Children's Success

United Way is building programming to support children who read. The Family Literacy Academy at Lake Wales became a United Way partner in 2008. Brandi Marshall is pictured reading to her daughter Rebecca at a recent reading event at the Literacy Academy.

Children's readiness skills for school are monitored by the program and show the predictable result that when children read with their families they grow to be readers themselves and are better prepared for success in school and in life. The Literacy Academy program increases children's vocabulary scores by 6 months for every month of attendance.