During the Mar. 21 meeting of the Cutler Bay Town Council the mayor and other council members presented a proclamation honoring the “Read Conmigo” program. Gulfstream Elementary School principal Concepcion Santana and Geraldine Toledo, the spokesperson for the program, accepted the proclamation.
A program sponsored by Infinity Insurance Company, “Read Conmigo” works with area public schools to encourage bilingual literacy by providing free books and resources to parents to support reading to their children at home. The books feature positive creative stories written in both English and Spanish that parents and children can read aloud together.
The proclamation praised Read Conmigo as a campaign that “promotes the distinct educational, social, and financial benefits of bilingualism and provides parents with free tools and resources to help them create a lifelong love of reading.” The belief is that bilingual reading will assist the students by raising their reading levels, help them succeed in the classroom and improve their learning experience.
Gulfstream Elementary School is one of several area schools participating in the program. Read Conmigo also provides an opportunity for up-and-coming Hispanic authors and illustrators to create books published and distributed through the program.
Books like Sugar Moon (Luna de Azucar), Jazmin, the Beautiful Sheep (Jazmín, la Bella Oveja), Animals Are Unique, Just Like You (Los Animales Son Unicos Como Tú) and numerous others all are designed to be appropriate for children from kindergarten through fifth grade. The books are distributed through participating schools, at special events or can be viewed or downloaded through the program’s website.
For information visit the website at <www.readconmigo.org>.
