First Lady Crissy Haslam Promotes the Read20 Family Book Club at Hickman Elementary School

Reading event to promote the importance of reading at least 20 minutes each day

NASHVILLE – First Lady Crissy Haslam visited with more than 100 Hickman Elementary School 3rd graders today to encourage their participation in the Read20 Family Book Club.  Mrs. Haslam read Winnie-the-Pooh, the November Read20 Book of the Month, to students and donated books to the school library.  
 
Launched on June 2012, the Read20 Family Book Club was created to highlight the importance of early literacy and parental engagement in children’s academic lives, encouraging Tennessee families to read together for at least 20 minutes each day.

“Literacy can be the single-most important skill for children to be successful in school,” said Haslam. “Families have an opportunity to promote academic success when they work with their child’s school to encourage reading and reinforce learning in the home.”
Mrs. Haslam has been promoting the importance of reading at least 20 minutes each day by visiting Tennessee schools and families. During the summer, Haslam made visits to minor league baseball games, military bases and county fairs to pass out her Read20 Book of the Month to Tennessee families.  During the school year, Haslam has continued her Read20 message to Tennessee students, visiting elementary schools and public libraries, and hosted a Halloween reading event at the Tennessee Residence.

“Research shows that reading for at least twenty minutes each day can have a tremendous impact on how well a child will perform in school,” said Haslam. “Families have many demands on their time, but it is important to encourage education at home by spending quality reading time together.”

For more information about the Read20 Family Book Club visit www.tn.gov/read20, www.facebook.com/CrissyHaslam, follow @Read20TN on Twitter, or go to your local public library.