The Free Library of Philadelphia is excited to pilot a new Sunday Literacy program at five of our neighborhood libraries. This program offers drop-in assistance to students struggling to read in 1st through 3rd grades. Beginning Sunday, November 6 and continuing throughout the rest of this school year, each library hosting a Sunday Literacy program will have two sessions for students. Each session will be run by a teacher and will include the following elements: Read Aloud, Independent Reading, Literacy Games, and Writing.

Participating neighborhood libraries include:

Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library | 68 W. Chelten Avenue
Walnut Street West Library | 201 S. 40th Street
West Oak Lane Library | 2000 Washington Lane
Whitman Library | 200 Snyder Avenue
Widener Library | 2808 W. Lehigh Avenue

Registration is required to participate, but families can register on their first visit. Participants should plan to arrive at the beginning of one of the sessions. Session 1 begins at 1:00 p.m. and runs until 2:45 p.m. Session 2 begins at 3:00 p.m. and runs until 4:45 p.m.

“Learning to read well is the keystone of all future learning,” said Siobhan A. Reardon, Free Library President and Director. “Extra reading support on Sundays with a certified teacher in five of our libraries is a tremendous new offering available to students and their families. We are thrilled to be advancing literacy with our youngest readers.“

The Sunday Literacy program is part of Read by 4th, a citywide effort of over 100 organizations convened and managed by the Free Library that aims to majorly increase the number of students in Philadelphia entering the 4th grade at reading level by 2020.