Newly Developed Digital Tools to Support Social and Emotional Learning are Now Available

(Washington, DC, March 24, 2020) Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is at the forefront of providing literacy resources and support to educators, parents and caregivers for use at home to provide continuity in children’s learning. The nation’s leading literacy organization is creating opportunities to ensure all children have access to its breadth of eBooks, children’s reading activities, bilingual resources, and parent and educator tips and tools for use at home during the COVID-19 pandemic it was announced today.

With schools nationwide closing due to COVID-19, many parents are expanding their role as parent and caregiver to now include educator, and educators are learning in real time how to teach remotely.  Both parents and educators  are navigating a new learning environment with a common goal – ensuring their children can continue to learn and grow.  To meet this moment, Reading Is Fundamental is providing a broad range of high-quality tools and resources designed for remote instruction and continued learning, with resources like read-alouds that can be shared virtually, activities that are designed for at-home use, and age-appropriate books that encourage independent reading at home 

"It is more important than ever that we support continuity in a child’s learning and development in a fun and engaging way in this time of disruption and home-learning,” said Alicia Levi, President and CEO of Reading Is Fundamental. “RIF has developed resources that support children, parents/caregivers, and educators as they continue their children’s reading journey.   These interactive and impactful resources include Skybrary, RIF’s digital library of eBooks, interactive activities, social and emotional learning resources and more. We are honored to support parents, caregivers and the millions of children nationwide as we navigate this incredibly trying time."

Reading Is Fundamental is continually evolving its collection of resources to reach children and engage them in the power of reading anything, anytime, anywhere. The following resources can be used immediately to help children continue their reading journey during these disruptive times:

1. Free 30 day access to almost 1,000 eBooks with Skybrary: Created by LeVar Burton Kids, Skybrary provides children ages 2 – 9 with the opportunity to embark on their own reading adventures anytime and anywhere through this interactive and engaging digital library. Children will be educated and entertained while reading or taking an adventure through the many books and video field trips.  Parents can be assured that young or struggling readers have the benefit of a read-to-me narration option and all will enjoy the interactives included throughout each book. To learn more about Skybrary, visit RIF.org/Read-With-Skybrary.
2. Access to an array of activities to keep children engaged at home: Online resources include RIF’s recommended reading lists available by grade level, ability to create their own puzzles using our Puzzle Creator tool, and games such as Book Bingo, activity sheets, read-aloud tips, coloring sheets and more on RIF’s Literacy Central.
3. Resources for educators to share with parents: How to Connect Home Literacy Practices to School Literacy Practices suggests simple ways to integrate literacy into daily experiences such as story-telling, cooking, music and more. Educators can share links to activities aligned with popular books and parents can download these free resources any time. Additional RIF online resources for teachers and parents can be found here:

   Parents: https://www.rif.org/literacy-network/resources/quick-guides/quick-guide…

   Parent read-aloud resources:  https://www.rif.org/literacy-network/resources/quick-guides/read-aloud-…

   Teachers:  https://www.rif.org/literacy-network/resources/quick-guides/quick-guide…

4. Talk to Kids About their Feelings: This is a scary time and finding books that support social and emotional learning (SEL) will help children express how they are feeling about what is going on in the world. RIF offers resources for educators and parents at RIF.org/SEL. Book examples:

   What to Do When You Worry Too Much -- This interactive book is designed to lead children and their parents through techniques often used to treat anxiety. 
   Jacqueline and the Beanstalk -- This modern retelling of the classic fairy tale aims to help kids face and live with their fears. When a princess climbs up a beanstalk, she meets a giant who is afraid of the unknown.

   Emily Grace and the What-Ifs - Bedtime can be a scary time for kids. As soon as Emily Grace tries to go to sleep, her mind begins to race and worry. After taking a moment to calm down, she figures out a method to cope with her fears.

5. Support for bilingual households: RIF’s Spanish language resources include word search puzzles and memory match games for books like Tikki Tikki Tembo. Examples of RIF’s Spanish language resources can be found at Literacy Central Bilingual Center.
6. The importance of Reading Aloud to Your Child:  There have long been studies on the importance of reading aloud to children and how it supports their developmental reading skills as detailed in, “Reading Aloud, Play and Social-Emotional Development,” published in the journal Pediatrics. To help parents and caregivers get the most out of the time spent reading to their children, here are a selection of read-aloud books and activities for families and children: 
   The Cat in the Hat read aloud by Justin Bieber
   Read-aloud support 
   Reading Logs and Activities

To help RIF provide children in need with books and digital resources visit www.rif.org/donate.

About Reading Is Fundamental:
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is committed to a literate America by inspiring a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content to create impact, and engaging communities in the solution to give every child the fundamentals for success. As the nation's largest nonprofit organization for children's literacy, RIF has provided more than 416 million books to 53 million kids in all 50 states, inspiring generations to read, learn and grow.

CONTACT: 
Liz Stein, liz@lizsteinconsulting.com
Carla Tevault, ctevault@rif.org