On behalf of the Maine Department of Education, I want to extend sincere thanks to all who participated in the Read to ME Challenge and to our partners for your efforts in making this first year of the Challenge a huge success.
Every minute of reading that Maine children have gained through this effort will help exercise their minds and contribute to their learning. The incredible array of ways in which Maine schools, civic and community members and partners implemented the Challenge in their communities is to be applauded.
These efforts have succeeded in building public awareness of the critical role literacy plays in our lives as well as the tremendous advantages regular reading with children provides. We have greatly appreciated the stories and photos partners have shared, and have tried to include many in our weekly DOE Newsroom stories about the campaign which can be accessed here.
The Department tracked the use of #ReadtoME through the hundreds of posts to social media. We also recognize, because of privacy settings on social media, our data collection is far from an accurate accounting of the Challenge across the state. However, we can say that we have seen involvement in the campaign across Maine, from North to South and East to West and we are most grateful for having those stories shared with us through e mails, pictures and local media stories.
As we look toward next year’s campaign, we’d like to secure feedback about experiences and insights from our partners. The Challenge Partner survey is located at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ReadtoME2016Eval. Please complete this survey by March 15.
Thank you again for taking time in accepting the Challenge. Stay tuned to how the 2017 Read to ME Challenge will shape up, and keep reading aloud with a child for 15 minutes a day; the benefits are endless.
Best,
Literacy Specialist Lee Anne Larsen
leeann.larsen@maine.gov