Find literacy and reading resources in Suffolk County, Long Island, including children’s reading enrichment programs and volunteer opportunities for teens and adults.
Mount Sinai
(631) 678-3716
Designed to bring together bookworms both young and old, the year-old program allows readers to meet one-on-one with their listeners. “You start off as a book and a stranger, then become friends,” program president Joseph Passaro says. While the program initially focused on pairing young readers with senior citizens to give them the cognitive stimulation they might lack from their new living arrangements, some of the seniors enjoy the program so much that they become readers themselves. The senior volunteers will visit the local elementary classrooms and read to the children. To get started with the program, fill out an application under the volunteer tab of the website or e-mail Joseph at joseph@readtwome.org for more information.
2011 New York Agriculture Literacy Week
Local elementary schools
(631) 852-4607
Combine a love of food, farming, and reading by participating in a Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County program that teaches second graders about agriculture and farming through literature. This year’s book, Chicks and Chickens by Gail Gibbons, features a poultry industry theme, and teachers will incorporate the book’s message into the classroom by doing the provided follow-up activities on their own. Celebrate National Agriculture Week by purchasing the $6 book, reading it at an elementary school in your community, and donating the book to the school library afterward. For more information on obtaining the book and elementary school placement, e-mail program coordinator Barbara Sturek at bs65@cornell.edu or call her at the number above.
Locations throughout Long Island
Reading Is Fundamental serves children through a national network of volunteer coordinators and literacy programs in nearly 19,000 locations across the U.S., including sites managed by the Suffolk County Library Association and by myriad school PTAs across the county. Last year, in New York state alone, 328,935 children selected 1,159,279 books to keep as their own. Visit the website to learn about volunteering, donating, or advocating with Congress to maintain funding beyond the current temporary funding resolution set to expire on March 4.
Program sites throughout Nassau County
(516) 293-2016, x. 5281
Help adults with a range of disabilities improve their literacy by volunteering at one of many day and evening programs. Through the Adult Residential Group, meet one-on-one with adults with various literacy needs, from building basic reading skills to improving content comprehension. “Book Nook” in Hicksville has volunteers help adults in the program sell used books as well as offering the opportunity to assist a one-hour volunteer-run book discussion group. The range of programs offers great flexibility with time commitments. Volunteers must be at least 16. Call coordinator of volunteer services Jerri Walker to discuss volunteer requirements and expectations and to fill out enrollment paperwork. For more information on the programs offered, visit the website and click on the “Volunteer Program” tab.
Also see: How to Help Your Child Be a Confident Reader
Resources: Our Education Resource Guide to the New York metro area
Our Online Calendar, for storytelling events and more in Rockland County and the New York metro area
