Children's Reading Foundation of Doña Ana County

Looking back on life, most of us can immediately identify two or three initiatives we are particularly proud of. For me, the launch of the non-profit Children's Reading Foundation of Doña Ana County is one of those projects.

The two most powerful indicators of student success in our schools are parent and family involvement, and developing competent reading skills by the third grade. The Children's Reading Foundation of Doña Ana County addresses both of these issues. We will work through existing networks of child care providers, health care providers, public schools, NMSU, literacy services, and religious and community organizations. The Children's Reading Foundation will support these organizations by bringing proven tools and visibility to their literacy building efforts, and strategies that help families become effective partners in this effort.

As co-founder of the Children's Reading Foundation of Doña Ana County, I have had the pleasure of working with Las Cruces School Board member Maria Flores, former public schools teacher Terry Miller, former Dartmouth professor Douglas Hoffman and the National Reading Foundation in putting together programs that will engage the entire Doña Ana community in building a culture of literacy for children and their parents from birth to age 8. Organizations throughout the county have generously offered their support. Our mantra will be "Reading to a child is the most important 20 minutes of your day." Kids who read succeed. Communities that read attract good jobs and build strong economies.

I won't go into the details of the Children's Reading Foundation's efforts here. Those are available at our website www.readingfoundation.org. But please click here for an invitation to our May 13 kick-off event in conjunction with the NMSU School of Education, and click here to see the invitation to our May 14 fundraiser in Old Mesilla. I would love to see you there.

State Senator Steve Fischmann represents district 37 in Dona Ana & Sierra Counties