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Haverhill and state officials celebrated National Literacy Month Monday by highlighting $150,000 in state money received to adopt early literacy curriculum in Haverhill Public Schools and help Haverhill Promise deliver early literacy interventions and tutoring.
Officials gathered in front of Golden Hill Elementary School to demonstrate how efforts as early as pre-school have been shown to reduce dropout rates later and deliver lifelong success. Golden Hill Principal Paula Rodriguez explained how students are using the school’s outdoor little library and other the resources made possible by the state earmark.
“They can come, take a book and the kids use it quite often. Every day, we are constantly filling the books, so that’s been great. Also, Catapult tutoring, which we started last year. We have Catapult staff. We’re very thankful for them and it’s shown progress with the students already,” she said.
The legislative earmark provided $100,000 to Haverhill schools and $50,000 for the Haverhill Promise program to improve grade level reading by third grade. State Rep. Andy X. Vargas said the additional state aid will directly help families.
“To ensure that those that don’t have the financial means, the parental means, the circumstances in their households to enjoy reading, to have a culture of reading,” he explained.
Mayor Melinda E. Barrett, who serves as chair of the School Committee, acknowledged the importance of children being proficient in reading by third grade. She said children must first be able to read before they are able to learn. “This is very important to our community, our students, our schools. This money is significant and will impact getting kids to grade-level reading,” she explained.
School department Chief of Teaching, Learning and Leading Bonnie Antkowiak added student success depends on a foundation of reading and, “without that, there won’t be many successes.”
School Committee members Gail M. Sullivan and Richard J. Rosa, who helped shepherd the founding of Haverhill Promise almost seven years ago, discussed their experiences. Sullivan, for example, noted she served as a reading specialist for 22 years. “The biggest indicator of whether kids drop out of school or not is whether they can read. This is a great passion of mine and I’m really impressed with the work of Haverhill Promise has done thus far,” she said.
Haverhill Promise Director Jessica Kallin thanked Reps. Vargas and Ryan M. Hamilton and Sens. Barry R. Finegold and Pavel M. Payano for the team effort to bring extra money to the school district.
Haverhill Promise Director Jessica Kallin discusses the importance of reading proficiency by third grade. (WHAV News photograph.)