A program focused on developing children's reading literacy has expanded to schools in Lahaina for the first time.
The Kristi Yamaguchi's Always Dream reading program will be at 19 schools in Hawaiʻi this school year, including Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena and King Kamehameha III Elementary schools.
Students and families at these Lahaina schools were affected by last year's wildfires that destroyed the historic town.
Executive Director Aarika Riddle said the complex areas were selected by the Hawaiʻi Department of Education. She said reading at a young age is crucial to a child's development.
“For families who are experiencing trauma, the shared reading experience can often be something that helps to strengthen families, and can be a stepping stone to get families engaged in their child's education,” Riddle said.
Riddle said she anticipates the program will be working with 120 students in pre-K and kindergarten.
Students in the program will get to take home printed books and a tablet with a digital library. The families will be provided with an online coach who will lay out reading times between parents and children.
“Our book coaches help families leverage all of those tools and resources that we give them and work with them to broaden access to books, coach them through increasing their at home reading time and engaging in their child's learning journey,” Riddle said.
The Kristi Yamaguchi Always Dream organization was founded in 1996 by the Olympic figure skater. The program currently provides access to early literacy resources.
It's also the program's 10th anniversary working with students in Hawaiʻi.
