PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Free Library of Philadelphia launched its Reading Promise Week of community driven events this week, starting with a local elementary school.
The library system and early literacy movement Read By 4th have teamed with communities throughout the city to celebrate the many different ways families can read with one another.
It began at Jenks Elementary School, where they officially opened the school's new library.
Khayri McKenny, of Jenks Dads on Duty, a collective of dads supporting the children of the community, welcomed the new reading space.
"I'm a father of five. Reading is important. Education is key in order to progress in life. You need to be able to understand in order to comprehend," he said.
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As many as two out of three Philadelphia third graders are not reading on grade level, according to a 2021 report.
Jan LeSuer, President of the Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library, said the advocacy group has committed to improving literacy in the region, steping in to help fund libraries in communities that need it most.
"Creativity, imagination, possibility and ambition can be really set on fire in the libraries," he said.
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