DeLauro Kicks Off Youth Reading Program

More Than 250 Connecticut First-Graders Participated in Last Year’s Session

NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) today kicked off her annual youth reading program, Rosa’s Readers, at New Haven’s Worthington Hooker Elementary School. Last year more than 250 Connecticut first graders participated in the program, which requires students to read 20 or more books with their parents, siblings, relatives and teachers, over the next three months. Successful students will receive a special Certificate of Achievement.

“The most important thing you can do for your children’s long-term development is to teach them how to read and the earlier they start the better. Every child deserves a world class education, and teachers, parents and relatives have critical roles to play in that education. Rosa’s Readers is designed to help teach children not only how to read, but that reading is important.

“Reading helps us learn about people and the world around us. Opening a book can take you to another country or to another time in history. There is no end to what you can learn or where you can go.”

Rosa’s Readers is designed to increase interest in reading by first graders while fostering family ties. Since its inception in 2000, over 7,600 students have read over 156,000 books.

Participating students will also have the opportunity to design a commemorative bookmark and enter it in a contest.


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