Help Build a Reading Buddy  

Laurens County School District #55 (LCSD 55) is looking for twenty-five community members to help assemble Reading Buddies for incoming 4K students on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, starting at 9:00 a.m. at the LCSD 55 administrative office.

A Reading Buddy is a stuffed animal that students can read to or cuddle with while a caregiver reads to them. Each volunteer will be given the supplies to stuff an animal, insert a heart, create a birth certificate, decorate the animal’s ‘home’, and write a short letter from the animal to the child.

“Research states that developing early literacy skills makes it easier for children to learn to read. Children who enter the classroom with these skills have an advantage that serves them throughout their school years,” says Dr. Ameca Thomas, Superintendent of LCSD 55.  “Our goal in making and distributing Reading Buddies is to encourage early learners to grow a love of reading that will help develop these skills.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than one in three American children enter kindergarten without the skills needed to learn to read. “We know that reading is an essential skill for success in school and later in life,” says Thomas.  The superintendent encourages parents to make reading time a fun time.  Reading Buddies can be a routine reminder to, “Go get your Buddy, it’s time to read!”

During the summer, Reading Buddies, along with a set of preschool books, reading finger, pencils, and more will be distributed to 4K students who have registered for the 2021-2022 school year. For more information or to sign up to volunteer, contact Erin Lake at 864-681-3642 or email [email protected].

Laurens County School District 55 is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and strives to empower and inspire all to be educated and informed.