Supporting a Solid Foundation in Reading

It is very clear to me that a solid foundation and love of reading starts at a young age.  Though there are many exceptions, readers who have discovered the joy of reading later in life, for the most part the love of reading starts young!  I have strong feelings on getting children ages 0-8 on the right track.  I have read to my children since birth!  Just as children learn to talk by watching others, I believe they learn to read by watching and listening to others.  Though my girls cannot yet read on their own they are very attentive to books we read, they ask questions, showing me that they are thinking and they are very good at "reading" me the story on their own which proves they are remembering what we read.  They show all the signs of children ready to learn to read because their mind is processing, thinking, analyzing and translating the information read to them.

Stories hold the power of imagination, lessons of importance, learning skills and plain simple fun!  I believe every child deserves the chance to be a reader!  There are many programs that support this cause as well.  Some of these programs include Dolly Parton Imagination Library, tutoring centers such as Sylvan and online sites such as Starfall and Story Time For Me.  Recently Story Time For Me published this press release announcing upgrades and free content for their site!  If you were a follower when I offered free books from Story Time For Me you will love that the site is now free for everyone!  Here is the press release:

www.StoryTimeForMe.com
St. Louis, Mo. USA
January 18th, 2011


Press Release
FREE ONLINE CHILDREN'S BOOKS OFFERED TO IMPROVE CHILDREN’S LITERACY AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Summary
Story Time For Me has released a library of FREE interactive multimedia storybooks for homes, schools, daycares and libraries. Our program will encourage children to read entertaining, animated stories with socially relevant themes such as ‘Not to bully’, ‘Sharing’, ‘Being responsible for the environment’, ‘Helping your neighbor’, etc.

Access to books is essential to reading development. The only variable that directly correlates with reading scores is the number of books in the home. According to A.C. Nielsen & Co the average child watches over four hours of television per day and before finishing elementary school, that same child will have seen 8,000 murders on TV.

Story Time for Me wants to give free access to 100’s of quality children’s books. But that’s only part of our mission. All books published by Story Time For Me teach good morals and values with socially relevant themes. Books with uplifting story lines can make a positive impression on the minds of new readers. Our wholesome, entertaining, animated books feature easily identifiable animal characters learning to make positive decisions in everyday life situations. Parents can be sure Story Time For Me books will entertain their children while teaching them good moral values.

This library of books is recognized by educators and teaching professionals for its excellence in promoting literacy. “As the founder of the KART Foundation, a child’s literacy organization, I find Story Time For Me to be an excellent adaptation of traditional storytelling in the Internet age. The quality of the stories is first class, with loveable characters that all children can identify with,” said Terica Lynn Swangin, researcher, and author of the Scribbles & Friends Series PediNatural (TLS

“The development of this free library fosters a continued love of reading through our multimedia storybooks,” said Andrew Gitt, co-founder of Story Time For Me. “We are thrilled with the response we are already getting from educators and schools across the United States, and are currently expanding our outreach efforts. Select branches of Goddard Schools, Bright Horizons, Primrose, YMCA, JCCA, Childcare Network and a dozen other National chains are using our books as supplemental learning resources for their children.”

“Our goal is to attract a corporate sponsor with similar literacy goals to help distribute our growing library in multiple languages world-wide," said Susan Gitt, co-founder of Story Time For Me. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for a sponsor to receive positive branding while helping millions of families become better readers and socially responsible adults. For corporate sponsors, our books will also be made available on I-Pads and print versions with the sponsor’s branding on the cover. Special subject books and branded books are available for distribution to complement public service marketing efforts.

ABOUT STORY TIME FOR ME
Story Time For Me, founded in 2009, is a unique literary website designed specifically for toddlers and children ages 1 to 8 encouraging them to read and listen to enjoyable, online, multimedia picture books. Story Time For Me offers a one-of-a-kind, animated, personalized line of books for both retail and promotional marketing. In this the personalized Story Time For Me series, the child (or the business) becomes the “star” of the book by having his or her photo inserted and animated throughout the entire story in different poses and settings.

The Story Time For Me e-library offers compelling storytelling with inspiring and memorable characters designed to stimulate any child’s imagination. The content improves the student’s cognitive development and reading skills. The interactive language prompts provide children with their own personal reading coach.

Story Time For Me offers teacher, parents and children valuable literary resources that teach wholesome values through socially relevant themes, while promoting healthy parental interactions that inspire and foster a child’s passion for reading.
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For information about Story Time For Me, or to schedule an interview with one of the Story Time For Me founders, please call Jeff Gitt at (314) 757-1031 or e-mail Jeff at jgitt@storytimeforme.com.
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I personally recommend this site.  It is full of many wonderful books that read aloud to your child while highlighting what is being read.  The stories fit a wide age group of children but focus on the young readers ages 4-8.  My oldest loves using this site.  In our age of technology children are and will be exposed to the Internet, television and many other wonderful technological advances.  I believe as a parent it is my job to protect my children from the dangers of these tech toys while also guiding them to use them to further their knowledge.  My daughter loves playing games and reading books on the computer!  We make sure she plays educational games and spends time reading during each session of play time she spends on the computer.  I love that their are sites like Story Time For Me that offer reading tools for my children.  After all, I can't read to them all day everyday.... I have to read too!!

Check out the site and let me know what you think!  I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic or learn about other educational sites!  Thanks for reading!