For Winter School Break, Haverhill Promise Urges 20 Minutes of Reading Daily

Haverhill Public School students soon begin winter break, and one organization is already thinking about enriching activities children can undertake then.Haverhill Promise, the grade level reading program, wants books involved. Program Director Jenny Arndt, a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program, said she’s hoping students from pre-kindergarten through third grade will continue reading during the time off.“Hopefully, children are going to be getting books for gifts. There might even be some great deals on books. You also have some great options, the library is going to be having some hours during that winter break and, of course, Ruth’s House and other places that have low cost books. We are hoping that there will be lots of access to books and that families will just sit together and read,” she said.Arndt said they are just encouraging children and their families to read 20 minutes a day during the 10-day break.“More importantly, I think, than the academic piece of reading the words is that bonding time with a family member, or older sibling or a family sitting together and reading ‘The Night Before Christmas.’ That helps solidify a joy of reading in our kids. That almost always starts at home and so we are really encouraging families to spend time reading during their school vacation,” she said.Arndt also says Haverhill Promise is planning programs for 2022 and seeks volunteers to help with the STEAM Literacy Program. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math. Earlier this year, Haverhill Promise received a grant from Edwards Vacuum, a manufacturer that recently built a new center in Haverhill, that will be used to create literacy kits that include a book and a project. The organization is also looking to create in-person programming. There is more information about Haverhill Promise on the web at HaverhillPromise.com.Support the show