[Libs-Or] OLA Legislative Day -- Ready to Read Template

[Emily Ford]

Hi Oregon Library Community,
Again today I'd like to remind you of OLA Legislative Day on Monday, April
8th. For more information regarding the schedule, please visit the OLA
Legislative Network Wiki's page on OLA Legislative Day.
http://olanetwork.wikispaces.com/OLA+Legislative+Day

For those of you unable to visit Salem on Monday, we hoped you may consider
participating by phoning or emailing your Senators and Representatives. The
second of four issues we would like to discuss on Legislative Day regards
the Ready to Read Program. OLA has an issue brief accessible online at:
https://ola.memberclicks.net/assets/Legislative/leg_readytoread13.doc

Below is a template that you can use to email your representatives about
this important topic. Please consider using this template to email your
state legislators on Monday.

Cheers,
Emily

-----------------------------

April 8, 2013

Dear _______________,

I am writing today to ask you to support Oregon State Library’s Ready to
Read Grant Program.

The Ready to Ready Grant Program was created by the Legislature in 1993 to
improve library services to children. Since then, public libraries
throughout Oregon have used Ready to Read grants to help children discover
the joy of reading and the power of literacy. These grants have been
primarily used to promote early literacy. If increased by the amount of
$100,000, these grants would extend coverage to support literacy efforts
for all youth, through 17 years.

Ready to Read is a pivotal program for Oregon. Our children are not meeting
benchmark goals for readiness in learning by kindergarten, nor are they
reaching reading proficiency by 3rd grade. Children who start school
reading or Ready to Read will perform better than those who do not.

Public libraries are the only resources in most Oregon communities that
offer literacy programs for every resident without regard to demographic
characteristics.  Ready to Read grants are the only State General Fund
program directly supporting Oregon’s public libraries.  The cost of the
program at $1 per child would be $1.75 million. The current funding is
equivalent to 80¢ per child.  In 2012, each $1 of state funds leveraged $
1.44 in local funds.

I urge you to support HB 5022, which will aid children and families in our
communities.

For more information about the Oregon State Library’s Ready to Read Grant
Program please visit its 2011-2012 Annual Report, downloadable online at:
http://bit.ly/readytoreadoregon.

As a librarian and as your constituent, I urge you to support HB 5022. Your
support would mean that public librarians would be able to better help
children achieve a love of reading and to discover the power of literacy.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
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