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Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Ronald McDonald House Charities, LCF provide new reading approaches to kids
MORE Filipino grade school students now have a fighting chance at better grades and a brighter future as more public schools benefit from new reading approaches with Ronald McDonald House Charities' (RMHC) Bright Minds Read (BMR) Program.
The League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) led by member organization RMHC officially turned over 126 BMR Kits to the Department of Education (DepEd) last October 18 at the DepEd national office.
DepEd will initially distribute the BMR kits to assigned beneficiary public schools in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Region 4 that will fully adapt the Bright Minds Read Program, according to Zonito M. Torrevillas of RMHC.
The Visayas and Mindanao will soon follow, with priority in places where McDonald's has presence, like Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Tagbilaran, Bacolod, Iloilo, Tacloban, Butuan, General Santos, Ozamiz and Zamboanga, she added.
This is the first rollout of BMR kits that the LCF in partnership with RMHC has pledged to DepEd. Through the cooperation of its other members, LCF hopes to hit its target donation of 300 BMR kits to the DepEd by the end of next year.
The official turnover headed by DepEd Assistant Secretary Teodoro Katindig, LCF president Bobby Calingo and RMHC chairman George T. Yang signified LCF and RMHC's unflagging commitment towards better education through the development of beginning reading among grade school students.
According to George T. Yang, children have always been close to McDonald's heart and to be able to help them become brighter and more well rounded individuals through beginning reading merit their own rewards.
"McDonald's through its charity arm RMHC firmly believes in education as a powerful means to shape a better future for our Filipino youth. That is why we put its full support on the Bright Minds Read Program. By teaching kids how to read and understand their lessons better early on, they can make the most out of their education and hopefully, their lives," said Yang.
LCF member donors Petron Foundation and power-producer Mirant Philippines also graced the event to commemorate the turnover of BMR kits. Out of the total donated BMR kits, Mirant Philippines sponsored 29 kits for schools in Real, Quezon.
Petron Foundation handed out 22 BMR kits for schools in the NCR and RMHC contributed 70 kits to be disseminated in public schools around Manila and five in outlying Balayan, Batangas.
"The LCF has long been a supporter of children's literacy so when RMHC presented us with Bright Minds Read, we enthusiastically embraced it. BMR can help them do better in class. It can also build their self-confidence. To us, it's like giving these kids, especially the non-readers, a fresh start," says Calingo.
Each BMR Kit contains English and Filipino reading materials, teachers manuals and worksheets. The kits, which cost P11,200 each, are specially developed and produced to help improve beginning reading and comprehension skills of the grade school beneficiaries.
The BMR Program also includes training for teachers in implementing effective beginning reading. Trainings were recently conducted in Cebu and Davao.
Bright Minds Read is a collaboration between RMHC and DepEd that promotes reading and literacy among Filipino children. The program aims to address the increasing rate of non-readers among Grade 1 pupils in public schools by providing resources as well as training to stimulate beginning reading and improve the quality of instruction of teachers.
In a DepEd study conducted in select public schools four years ago, 40 percent of the Grade 1 pupils were found to have fallen behind in their studies simply because they cannot read. Upon subjecting the students to the BMR approach, the rate of non-readers dramatically reduced to 4 percent at the end of their grade one schooling.
Through the tireless efforts of the DepEd and RMHC, more and more Grade 1 classrooms in public schools are now using BMR approach. With LCF's support, BMR can hopefully achieve its main objective-make readers out of all grade schoolers across the country.
Ronald McDonald House Charities is supported by McDonald's, the world's number one fast-food chain providing high-quality products at good value.
(October 25, 2005 issue)
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