Children who grow up hearing stories and looking at books will fall in love with language. Read from the Start, a Missouri Humanities family reading initiative, is offered free of charge and empowers parents and caregivers to read to their young children.
RFTS (Read from the Start) participants have the opportunity to learn about high-quality children’s books and the importance reading has on a child’s future. Participants may choose to receive a Literacy Kit, which includes 2-3 books, to aid in the literacy of young children. Participants will obtain the tools to successfully share exciting books and stories with their children.
Children who grow up hearing stories and engaging with books have a better chance of falling in love with language and succeeding in school. Research shows that reading aloud is the single most important activity a caregiver can do to help a child prepare for reading and learning. Read from the Start (RFTS), empowers parents and caregivers to read to their young children regularly- helping them form early habits that foster a lifelong love of reading.
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Request A Literacy Kit
Each literacy kit will include 2-3 books to aid families in teaching their young readers. The Literacy Kit Request Form will close once all resources have been exhausted. Literacy kits are free, but we encourage donations to help cover shipping costs.
Please note that materials are limited and will be shipped based on the order of requests received and book availability. One literacy kit will be provided per household.
Virtual Readings
Reading and book by Local St. Louis Author, Mon Trice
Reading by Professional Storyteller, Carole E. Shelton
Reading by Native American Storyteller, Suzanne Jones, and Melody Delmar
Reading by Professional Storyteller Sherry Norfolk
Reading by Professional Storyteller Brother John
Other Reading Resources
Discussion Ideas
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Read Aloud information
Because 15 minutes of reading aloud each day can change the face of education in this country.
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Dial-A-Story
The Kansas City Public Library offers multimodal ways for children to engage with literature!
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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income.
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Netflix Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices
The Netflix Bookmarks series invites celebrities to read children’s books by Black authors. This series is available on Netflix, as well as for free on the Netflix Jr. YouTube page.
