Darlington County receives grant for summer reading
The Darlington County School District will receive approximately $37,000 for summer reading, one of 20 districts set to receive funding through the Summer Reading Camp Community Partnership Grant. The TEACH (Teaching, Educating and Advancing Children in Hartsville) Foundation will also contribute $29,000 to further the program to at-risk students in grades 4K, 5K, 1st and 2nd grades.
“Summer learning loss is a well-documented problem for students. Children need as much quality exposure to vocabulary acquisition, reading and comprehension as possible. Those experiences, coupled with rigor and relevance, will serve to improve children’s academic futures as they move through school,” said Dr. Eddie Ingram, superintendent of the Darlington County School District. “We are excited to once again partner with the YMCA, Coker College and the TEACH Foundation to provide reading opportunities for students this summer. I’m very proud of our staff who took the initiative to secure these funds.”
The Jump Into Reading Program will include Coker College, the YMCA of the Upper Pee Dee and the TEACH Foundation with the purpose of providing students who are significantly below third-grade reading proficiency the opportunity to receive quality, intensive instructional services and support.
“We know that children who do not read on grade level by the third grade are significantly more likely to leave high school without a diploma than proficient readers,” said Sharman Poplava, executive director of the TEACH Foundation. “TEACH believes the earlier we can promote good reading skills, the better chance we have for 3rd grade students to meet the reading level mark. Creating an additional learning environment for these students to succeed is paramount to their success.”
About TEACH
The TEACH Foundation is a not for profit, 501(c)(3) organization that serves as the administration arm for the PULSE initiative which includes accelerated learning programs at Hartsville High School and the Comer School Development Program in four area elementary schools. The Foundation manages the funding provided to PULSE by the Sonoco Foundation.
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. For more information on the Company, visit www.sonoco.com.