The Read Anywhere: Partnership for Literacy launch event will be held this Monday, October 10 at COA Youth & Family Centers’ Goldin Center (2320 W Burleigh)  from 5 – 6:30 p.m. as part of the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) Program Family Gathering Night. Clifford the Big Red Dog will be handing out books and taking pictures with families enrolled in the HIPPY – Milwaukee program. There will also be a meal, arts and crafts, a magician, and a giveaway of book bags donated by Sam’s Hope Literacy Foundation, Scholastic, and the Milwaukee Brewers Community Foundation. 

Read Anywhere is launching a photo campaign asking parents to take pictures reading with their children around Milwaukee to post on social media. All Milwaukee families are encouraged to participate, be creative and post photos to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #ReadAnywhereMKE.  The Read Anywhere: Partnership for Literacy is between HIPPY – Milwaukee, Sam’s Hope Literacy Foundation and Scholastic Book Fairs and is designed to bring greater access to books and promote literacy for young children and families, with a specific emphasis on at-risk communities. Future plans for the partnership include read-ins at local landmarks, libraries, museums, schools, and other venues focused on young children. 

The HIPPY Family Gathering Night is a unique opportunity to interact with participants and educators in the internationally-recognized early education program that provides hundreds of Wisconsin families with free in-home instruction, curriculum, supplies, and of course, books. COA’s HIPPY Program serves parents with children ages 3-5, and features a 30-week curriculum with age-appropriate activities and lessons that can be adapted based on each child’s developmental progress. Last year, 99% of parents in the HIPPY program believed that participating in HIPPY would make their children more successful in school.

Margie Margolies, Board Chair of HIPPY U.S.A. and ardent supporter of early education in Milwaukee, said “HIPPY focuses on empowering parents to be their children’s first, most important teachers and emphasizes the importance of spending time together reading every day. The new Read Anywhere partnership will help promote literacy by encouraging parents to read with their children and giving them access to great books.”