Telegram - Serving Metropolitan Detroit Since 1944

The ability to read is one method that determines how successful you will be in life. What is amazing is that each family can play a huge role determining the success level of each family member. If you are in your 60s or older, you probably had a parent that either worked in the plant or was a stay at home mom. The mother’s role was to educate and nurture the children and the father’s role was to earn the money to support the family. That mom responsibility included reading to kids and making sure their homework was done.

I’m not sure that parents that are 50 and younger are spending a lot of time reading with the children. The data states that the illiteracy rate of people in Wayne County is over 50 percent. The goal of the Telegram as we work towards our 75th anniversary is to encourage’ Family Reading’. On page 7 of this issue you will find our new Parenting Page. It includes a coloring insert, a story for parents to read to their children, an activity, a word of the week and a word search. Our thought is to have children and parents look forward to this page and read together and spend time together.

Over the summer, we featured highlights on activities that are going on at local libraries. We will continue to share that sort of information. We also publish book reviews on books from local authors. All of these things are designed to result in a community that reads more. So read to your children and then have your children read to you. This is something that you can control.

So for about 30 minutes each day and read, read, read.

Gina Wilson Steward

Publisher