How We Help
Founded in 2012, The Reading Is Fun Program’s mission is to assist Pre-K through Grade 3 students in Schenectady’s elementary schools to attain critical grade-level literacy skills through the recruitment, training, and support of volunteer Reading Partners who mentor those students.
Reading Partners
RIF has over 100 trained volunteers called “Reading Partners.” A Reading Partner is assigned to a Pre-K through Third Grade classroom at one of Schenectady’s 11 elementary schools. Each week, the Partner works individually with one or more specific students. They meet for about 30 minutes, reading and discussing books, playing literacy games, and developing conversational skills. Every week, the child is gifted a book to take home, and over the year, the child builds up a home library of books. While RIF regularly recruits new Reading Partners, 82% of Partners have volunteered for two or more years.
For More Information About How Reading Partners Work With Children, See Our Video.
I started volunteering with Reading is Fun four years ago, after my youngest child started school full-time. I truly enjoyed teaching my own children how to read and was looking for a way I could give back to the community while my own kids were in school. This is my second year volunteering in kindergarten. It's a joy to work with children at the beginning of their reading journey, and there's nothing better than seeing reading "click" with them for the first time!
MARIA NORELLI
Reading Partner in Kindergarten
Pleasant Valley Elementary School
RIF Library
The Reading Is Fun Program distributes thousands of books every school year to Schenectady students. The beautiful RIF library is stocked with alphabet books, early reader books, picture books, and many other titles. RIF purchases most books with donor funds, while some are donated.
RIF’s Library Coordinator Mary Batzinger and Reading Partners organize and curate the shelves. Reading Partners regularly visit the library to select books for each student based on their reading levels and interests. The library space is located within Faith United Methodist Church in Schenectady, which generously lends RIF space to run the program.
RIF’s Grade-Specific Programs
Spring into Reading is Fun
"Spring into Reading is Fun" began in 2021. It has become our annual book distribution to all Schenectady first-grade students, numbering almost 800. Each year, every first-grade student is given a blue cinch bag that includes a special t-shirt and five wonderful books.
Volunteers read a book to each first-grade classroom and then distribute the gifts. In our fourth year, this program has been generously supported by a grant from The Wright Foundation. We will offer this program once again the week of May 12-16, 2025.
Fall Into the Alphabet
Which began in 2024, delivers alphabet books to all new Pre-K and Kindergarten students in Schenectady Public Schools. In September 2024, over 1,100 young students received these beautiful alphabet books to be read at home with their families. Generous donations from Fenimore Asset Management, Brokers Network, and individual donors supported this program.
Parents on the Fall Into the Alphabet Program
2024 Alphabet Books
“The alphabet books is a great help. I really like that it’s teaching them how to properly form the letter. Please say thank you to RIF for me.”
Yates Elementary’s Alissa Graham & DesNae Felton
“Both of my girls enjoyed the alphabet book. We had a great time reading it together and helping them sound out the letters and the pictures to each letter … making it a fun experience to read and hear the ABCs. …. Dad joined in give all of us a time to sit together. Thank you for the book!"
Howe Principal Chad Sitts
“Audrina loves the alphabet book from RIF, especially because it features the letter "A" in her name! Thank you!”
Make a Difference in a Child’s Future
Join us in the fight for literacy! Become a Reading Partner, donate books, or support our mission to help Schenectady children succeed. Every book, every volunteer, and every hour makes an impact.
