Huntington Learning Center recognizes Read Across America Day

Through its annual Read Across America celebration on March 2nd, the National Education Association (NEA) is encouraging schools, libraries, community centers, and other organizations to “build a nation of readers” by bringing children, teenagers and books together. Huntington Learning Center is joining the bandwagon right here in Encino by encouraging both the young and old to read while offering tips on how to make reading fun.
As part of the campaign, the center is distributing bookmarks with the NEA’s “Reader’s Oath” to selected classes in the Valley. The “Reader’s Oath”, printed over a Cat-in-the –Hat colors motif, concludes with the pledge, ”So I take this oath/To make reading my way/Of feeding my brain/What it needs every day.”The Encino center is also offering a one -time special of $99 for its diagnostic testing as an incentive to parents to improve their children’s reading and study skills.
“Read Across America Day, celebrated on Dr. Seuss’s birthday, gives education professionals like us another reason to show children and teenagers in the community how important and exciting reading can be for them,” said Ofra Weinberg of Huntington Learning Center of Encino. “Reading is such an integral part of growing. And, with the continued popularity around technology advances in social media, cell phones and video games, we want to bring back the ‘fun’ in fundamental reading.”
NEA is in its 14th year of its Read Across America Day campaign, commemorating the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, renowned writer and cartoonist most widely known for his children’s books written under the pen name Dr. Seuss. NEA’s initiative calls for professionals and other adults to motivate children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources. Weinberg recommends the following examples that can help parents encourage their children to read:
Mark your calendar for reading time. Designate a day and time where each family member in your household comes together for at least 30 minutes to take turns in reading something aloud. Whether it is a children’s book, adventure story, teen magazine or sports publication, you are promoting family time, learning about your children’s interests, and encouraging reading as a fun activity.
Bring reading into the kitchen.  Find a recipe for your next family dinner and ask your child or teenager to help you read the recipe and prepare the meal. Children and young adults always love to help out in the kitchen and when it comes time to eat, he or she will be proud to say that he or she helped out!
Take a library field trip. Not only do libraries offer a ton of books for you and your children to choose from, they have a myriad of activities for children and teenagers that promote reading. Check out your local library’s monthly calendar of events, and also make regular trips there with them to choose weekly or monthly reading material.
Ask for help. If you need assistance with encouraging your children to read, ask the librarian, your child’s teachers, or other education professionals for help. Tutoring centers like the Huntington Learning Center in Encino can help your child improve their reading skills.
Huntington Learning Center of Encino helps students ages 5 to 17 achieve improvements in their grades, test scores and self esteem. Weinberg says the success of its programs is due to the one-to-one attention its certified teachers devote to each child. In addition to on-site instruction, the center works with schools to ensure that educators are aware of the services that are available for struggling students.
“In recognition of Read Across America Day, we want to encourage parents to make reading fun for everyone in their family, but it’s important for parents to know they should be good examples as readers; let your children see you reading everyday and watch them practice positive reading habits on their own,” Weinberg said.
For more information about Huntington Learning Center in Encino or more tips on encouraging your children to read, families can contact Ofra Weinberg at (818) 907-5557.