Nassau Region PTA

Nassau Region PTA

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webmaster@nassaupta.org

PARP ~ Parents As Reading Partners

Learning to read is the single most important activity in a
child’s education. Studies show that children who read at
home are better prepared to succeed in school. PARP is a
program that cements the necessary bond between the
home and the school to encourage love of reading in our
children.

PARP is a statewide PTA administered program that asks
parents (or caregivers) to read with their children for at
least fifteen minutes daily, stressing the fact that reading
can be fun as well as informative. The choice of reading
materials can vary from books to anything with printed
words to even playing word games like Scrabble or Boggle.
The daily activity of reading together strengthens reading
and communication skills in the child and also strengthens
the parent/child relationship.

A PARP program can be run at little or no cost. It is a
voluntary effort of the school/ local community which
includes parents, students, administrators, teachers and
staff in a collaborative partnership whose focus is on
reading.

PARP Toolkit
NYS PTA has created a Parents as Reading Partners (PARP)
Toolkit which provides all the necessary materials you need
to run a successful program. Click here to view the Toolkit.

PARP Award
New York State PTA sponsors regional PARP Awards
annually, from which one statewide winner is selected.
New York State PTA units, schools (including pre-schools,
non-PTA schools, non-public schools, middle schools and
high schools), public libraries, community and parent
groups may apply for this award.

We encourage you to share your successful program!
Through this application process, your PTA unit could be
recognized for their creative ideas and hard work for
conducting the most outstanding Parents As Reading
Partners Program in our Region. The state PARP winner
will receive two free registrations for the NYS PTA
Convention and a plaque presented at the convention. The
award-winning application will also become part of the
PARP Toolkit.

All PARP Award Applications must be received by the
Region Director no later than June 15. For more
information about the PARP Award, click here.

All Region award winners will be notified before August 15.
The State PARP Award winner will be announced by
September 1.

If you have any questions about how to run your PARP
program or about the PARP Awards, please contact:

Stephanie Avidon
Nassau Region PARP Chair
parp@nassa upta.org



	From left to right - Judy Van Haaren, Region Director, Stephanie Avidon, Nassau Region PARP Chair, Walter Aksionoff, Principal Dutch Broadway School, Michael Jaime, Elmont Board of Education President, Marie Saint Vil, Dutch Broadway PTA President, Al Harper, Superintendent of Schools, and Sheila Shell, Past President Dutch Broadway PTA Congratulations to the 2011 Nassau Region PTA and 2011 NYS PTA PARP Winner: Unit 10-294 Dutch Broadway Elementary School PTA (Elmont, NY). Their program entitled “Here’s to Our Heroes – Readers Save the Day!” was a huge success with students, parents and teachers alike. This year-long program kicked off in June, 2010 when the theme was announced. Events were planned throughout the year to encourage students to read with a family member for 15 minutes each evening and complete school assigned reading logs. The committee created a bulletin board that featured positive role-model heroes, such as General Colin Powell, Dr. Charles Drew, Sacagawea, and Mae Jemison to name a few. Clues were added on a regular basis and students enjoyed guessing the identity of the hero. Classes visited the board together regularly and many did additional research as part of their class work. During Back to School Night parents were given a glimpse of the family literacy program and encouraged to establish their own family reading plan which tied into PARP. First graders were part of a Running Start Program, which was a joint effort between the PARP committee and the classroom teachers. Another program highlight included multiple visits from story teller and author, Donna Washington, who first did a daytime in- school performance, then came back in the evening to talk to parents about the importance of sharing stories with children and on the following day talked at the Elmont Public Library. During Parent-Teacher Conference Night the PARP committee provided a workshop for parents about accessing their children’s textbooks online. A variety of Family Nights, such as Family Game Night, Scrapbooking, Puppet Making & Story Telling, and Drama Night, were held where students earned beads for their Readers’ Necklace. At the end of the year, students turned in their beads for various prizes. Throughout the year, students were encouraged to read and write reports about their heroes, too. This program made an impact on the entire school community!