In 2007, the Center (then New College Institute) became the front line of literacy innovation by starting a Community and Educational Outreach Reading Program called Reading for Life. Based in Martinsville, Virginia, where a quarter of the population is below the poverty line, Reading for Life uses role models to convey the early but vital message that reading is important and can open doors to educational success and personal achievement.

Reading promotes greater maturity, increases discipline and lays the basis for moral literacy. It sparks curiosity about people, places and things and also satisfies the child’s curiosity by providing explanations of how things work. It exposes the child to a range of problem-solving techniques. In addition, early reading ignites the child’s creativity and imagination. The Center’s Reading for Life program seeks to bring the love of reading to underprivileged Kindergarten children and increase literacy skills and self-confidence for life.

The Center’s Reading for Life program is implemented at 16 elementary schools across three districts: Martinsville City Schools, Henry County Schools, and Patrick County Schools. Community volunteers are given the opportunity to serve as readers in local Kindergarten classrooms once per year. Each student is then presented their own book to take home and share with their families. Students are encouraged to have their parents or caregivers read the book to them at home. Many local Kindergarten teachers share that this is the first time that many students receive a book they can call their very own. Putting engaging and appropriate grade level books in the hands of our youngest students is a vital component since many of them live in families below the poverty line who may not have access to books or time for engaging in family reading practices. Reading for Life fosters exposure to literature and the development of reading skills for underprivileged children, and it encourages a lifelong love of learning and reading.