If you are a teacher, a youth leader, or a parent of young children, you know this is Read Across America week. Schools and classrooms are celebrating their favorite books and book characters while encouraging the love for reading. There are book fairs and book contests. Such a fun week! I remember it so well…My dad would let my brother and me each buy a new book. It was awesome. But…there’s always a but…what you may not know, is that children in foster care preform lower in reading proficiency than their peers. Actually, nearly half of all foster children are considered below average in reading levels. HALF! On our journey we encounter this on a regular basis. Listen guys…foster children are just trying to survive. They are just trying to get through the day. Making sure their homework is done or putting on a little extra time in on reading is usually not a priority. It is not at the top of their list, or the foster parent’s list. You just can’t imagine the kids we encounter that are 18 and older and read below a 3rd grade reading level. It’s heartbreaking. We need to get all 425,000 plus kids in a family so they can grow and thrive in not only reading but all areas! Please meet Kasumy. She is 12 years old and lives in Arizona.
Kasumy describes herself as quiet and happy, and as someone who is open to trying new things. She expresses her creativity by beading, painting and doing crafts. She appreciates being included in activities and will gladly help with gardening or cooking and loves to bake banana bread. Her favorite subjects are P.E., art and computer class and she would be thrilled if her new family could teach her Spanish. I love that ambition!
Parenting that is straight-forward with strong rules and redirection will be best for Kasumy. She thrives when she receives attention, so her team is looking for a family with no other children or a family with children who are much older than her. Can you be that family for her? Can you teach her Spanish? Can you help her love to read? If you are interested please contact Heather at [email protected]