In celebration of ‘Read Across America,” Gov. Maura Healey joined Revere elected officials at Whalen Elementary School last Wednesday and read to students and discussed the importance of learning this valuable life skill.
“It's so, so important to learn how to read,” Healey told Whelan students. “You can read any book and learn anything and everything about the whole world just by reading. But you know, you're not just born knowing how to read. Somebody's got to teach you how to read, and you have to put the time in, but so we're here to help you.”
The Healey-Driscoll administration recently proposed a five-year initiative, starting with a proposed $30 million in funding in the FY25 budget, for Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3. The new approach to improving early literacy education in the state will help make sure schools, educators, and students aged 3 through grade 3 have access to the highest quality, evidence-based reading instruction available.
“Through Literacy Launch, we want to bring the best reading resources to our schools and set kids up for a lifetime of learning,” said Healey. “Thanks to the students and educators at Whelan Elementary in Revere for inviting us into your classroom.”
The initiative will accelerate the timeline for school districts and early education programs to adopt high-quality literacy materials and provide technical support, coaching, and professional development to educators. It will also update approval criteria and accelerate review timelines for teacher education programs to require evidence-based early literacy training.
“In Massachusetts, we pride ourselves on education and our delivery of education,” said the governor after reading to students. “We also want to make sure that we are providing our schools and our educators with the very best tools possible. We know a lot about the science of reading, which shows there's a particular way that kids will learn how to read that will set them up for success.”
Healey continued, “That's why we're so committed to this literacy. A child's ability to read will determine so much in terms of their success in life, and I want to make sure as governor that every young person in our state has access to the best learning available and is given the right tools, especially when it comes to reading.”
See more photos here.