“Reading Rainbow” is making a comeback! Sort of...
Some great news for book lovers who suffer from a hint of nostalgia – “Reading Rainbow” is on its way back! LaVar Burton, host and producer of the hit educational PBS show, created a Kickstarter campaign to fund development of a web-based “Reading Rainbow”. To date, he has raised over $5.4 million. That’s a lot of money for a really important cause!
The classic show that aired from 1983-2009 will not be replicated; rather a tablet app will be created. It will provide special tools for teachers to help get kids interested in reading, which is essentially what the original program did for millions of kids. The money raised will help provide the app free to as many classrooms as possible.
LaVar wants to bring the program to more than 25,000 classrooms throughout the United States. Based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 4 children in the US are illiterate, he strongly believes that every child should have the tools necessary to learn how to read and to excel.
Kids want to learn, and they want to be online. So, with all the video games, apps and non-educational TV programming that exists, it’s refreshing to see someone fighting for the literacy of our nation’s kids.
The Kickstarter is now over, but you can still donate by clicking here. And check out LaVar’s Kickstarter video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8DLihxcj14
Guest Post by Jill Layton
Writer, Friend, and Passionate Cookie Eater
Featured image via RRkidz and NYDailyNews
