It takes an entire community to help a child develop a love of reading. During National Literacy Month this September, we’re celebrating the many people who help make reading, learning and discovery part of children’s everyday lives.
A teacher bringing a story to life in the classroom. A volunteer sitting down to read with a child. A community partner making sure books are within reach at home.
Each of these moments can help turn reading into something more than a skill. It can become a source of curiosity, connection, and discovery.
At Northern Virginia Family Services (NVFS), we see that community of readers taking shape every day. Building strong foundations for learning starts early. Through our Early Head Start and Head Start programs, children from birth through age 5 have opportunities to develop the language, literacy, social, and cognitive skills that help prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.
But that learning doesn't happen in isolation.
Creating Opportunities to Read Everywhere
Children benefit when reading is reinforced not only in the classroom, but also at home and throughout their community. Early literacy grows through repetition and connection, when children encounter books, stories, and conversation not only in the classroom, but also at home and throughout their community.
That’s why family engagement is an important part of NVFS’ approach to early childhood education. By giving caregivers tools and resources to support their children’s development, NVFS helps make learning part of everyday life. Through family literacy activities, opportunities to learn and play together, and home-based sessions, caregivers gain practical ways to reinforce what children are learning. This can be as simple as reading a book together, asking questions about the story, practicing new words, or turning playtime into a learning opportunity.
Our broader community plays a role, too.
Volunteers, donors, and community partners help put books into children’s hands and bring the joy of reading into NVFS classrooms. A donated book or a shared story can spark a new question, introduce a new word, or create a meaningful moment between a child and caregiver.
Throughout the year, guest readers from the American Physical Therapy Association, GW Student Nurse Association, DEV Technology, 10Pearls, and PNC have shared stories with NVFS students.
At our Glebe Road Head Start Center, librarians from the Arlington Public Library Community Youth Department visit classrooms each week, with plans underway for students to visit Arlington Central Library.
From reading at home to sharing stories with volunteers and librarians, these experiences help build a community of readers around every child.
GW University nursing students share a story with children at an NVFS Early Head Start center, helping bring reading, learning, and connection into the classroom.
More Than School Readiness
Early literacy helps prepare children for school, but its impact reaches further.
Stories introduce children to people, places, experiences, and ideas beyond their own. Reading together sparks conversation and imagination while strengthening opportunities for children and caregivers to connect.
And when children are surrounded by adults who make reading exciting, whether they are teachers, parents, caregivers, volunteers, and neighbors, they begin to see themselves as readers, too.
That is what building a community of readers looks like: creating an environment where books are accessible, reading is encouraged, and children have people around them who are invested in their learning.
It Takes All of Us
National Literacy Month is a reminder that helping children become confident, curious readers isn't the work of any one teacher, caregiver, program, or organization
Helping children build the foundations they need to thrive takes a community. One that recognizes that even small actions can become part of something much bigger.
Whether it's donating a book, reading a story, supporting an early childhood classroom, or making reading part of a family's daily routine, each of us can help open a new world for a child.
Because when a community comes together around its youngest readers, we're not just helping children learn to read. We're helping them discover a lifelong love of learning.
Want to help build a community of readers. Explore ways to support NVFS and help children and families across Northern Virginia learn, grow, and thrive.
