WHO WE ARE:
The Compton Initiative's "Just Read" Program began in 2006 and is dedicated to bringing the joy and fun of reading to elementary 
students in their classroom in cooperation with local schools, businesses, and churches.
We are an "all-volunteer" effort welcoming stay-at-home Moms, college students, retirees, part-time workers and even full-time employees who can obtain permission to take just 2-3 hours off work per month to reach out to our local community kids and "Just Read."
WHAT WE DO:
Developing excellent reading skills, along with a love for reading, is crucial to the success of young people. By "Just Reading" to kids, our volunteers open up children's eyes, hearts, and minds to the wonderful world of books and encourage them to discover the universe of knowledge and adventure to be found in reading. We spark kids' imaginations and at the same time show these children that we care about them and that each one is special.
HOW IT WORKS:
The "Just Read" Program is currently associated with Dickison Elementary School in the Compton Unified School District. Each volunteer reader signs up to read JUST ONE Friday afternoon per month-20 minutes in First Grade classroom and then 20 minutes in a Kindergarten classroom. The whole time comminment, excluding travel time, is about one hour per month (between 1:00-2:00pm). Volunteers can pre-designate their availability and commitment to the first, second, third, or occasional fourth Friday of the month. each volunteer is assigned to particular classrooms so that you can build positive and friendly relationships over time with the students and teachers you work with on a regular basis. Readers can choose to check out class sets of books from our "Just Read" Collection in the Emmanuel Library or can pick out an individual book at your local public library from our Approved Book List. Training is available for any new reader to ensure you and the kids have a great time together even your first time out!
THE REWARD:
The "return on invested time" for our "Just Read" volunteers is incredible. Listen to just a dew appreciative comments from teachers whose classrooms we visited last year:
- "I absolutely love it! My students look forward to seeing the Readers on Fridays."
- "Love the program! The students have enjoyed having the readers come in each week. The students are completely engaged, more so than if I was teaching at 1:30! Thank you very much!"
- "They really do a great job of bringing characters to life. Students love the readers!"
- "Guest readers bring excitement and fresh stories to the classroom. The children enjoyed every reader and every story. The "read-in" was a welcome addition to our Friday afternoon schedule."
At the end of each year, through the donations of businesses and business leaders, we have been able to give away a book to each one of the Dickison students-for some students this is the very first book they have ever owned and their joy is electric!