A Guide to Storytime

A Guide to Storytime is Reading by 9’s annual bilingual reading guide for parents and educators. It supports young kids as they develop their reading and literacy skills, which are crucial for future academic success.

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Now more than ever, we recognize the important role that parents, guardians and educators play in children’s success in literacy and learning. With the pandemic, this role has been made more challenging. As we move forward with teaching and learning, whether in math, science or art, we know that literacy provides a crucial foundation. Children need literacy to grow in all aspects of their lives and to understand the world around them.

It’s essential that we ensure our children receive the support they need. Even before the pandemic, far too many children lacked the critical skills needed to engage with reading. More than half of the students in the Los Angeles Unified School District who took the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress in 2019 did not meet English language arts and literacy standards. This year, students are significantly less prepared than in the past, since the virus unexpectedly pushed schooling online in March.

Reading opens doors. Reading by 9, a program of L.A. Times Public Affairs, seeks to promote and support youth and family literacy. We’re here to help unlock the access and enrichment that literacy can provide.

This year’s Reading by 9 annual parent reading guide was developed in partnership with Ready, Set, Read!, a nonprofit project of Community Partners dedicated to guiding parents through helping young children build a foundation of literacy skills. The guide, available in English and Spanish, is available for free and has tips and ideas for incorporating reading into a child’s daily life. Its recommendations — books, literacy resources and more — highlight the value of encouraging students to read about subjects that interest them.

The guide is distributed to parents and teachers throughout the United States with the support of donors and help of community-based organizations and schools. It’s also available online at latimes.com/Readingby9.

If you are interested in supporting our efforts, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Reading by 9 Fund as we strive to expand literacy resources for families: calfund.org/reading-by-9-fund.

Thank you for reading!

Chris Argentieri
President and Chief Operating Officer
Los Angeles Times

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

There are many organizations around Los Angeles and Orange counties that families can connect with online to access literacy resources and support services. Take a look at these organizations.

This supplement did not involve the editorial or reporting staff of the Los Angeles Times except where noted.

To order additional copies or download a digital version of the 2020 parent reading guide, visit latimes.com/readingby9. The guide is free to parents, educators and organizations working with children and families. To contact us with comments and questions or to receive more information, email [email protected].

Los Angeles Times Public Affairs manages philanthropy, community engagement and corporate social responsibility at the nation’s largest metropolitan daily news organization. We broaden perspectives, empower storytellers and inspire our community to question and transform the world around them. For more information, visit latimes.com/readingby9.

For over two decades, Ready, Set, Read! has been bringing families together and making brighter futures possible through our bilingual literacy program that empowers parents to read aloud with their children. Partnering with preschools and kindergartens in underserved Los Angeles communities, we provide free literacy workshops and books to parents and donate classroom libraries to our partner schools. For more information visit readysetread.org.