Literacy program pairs children in reading

At only 10-years-old, Lindsay Luberecki is getting her feet wet for a career in teaching.

She's reading to kids not much younger than her as part of the Roving Readers program at the Renaissance Preschool in Sarasota County.

"I like it because they kind of look up to me and listen a lot when I am reading and I also like playing with them so we have a good time," said Lindsay.

She was only six years old when she decided to become a literacy buddy.

"I like younger kids, like that, and I really like reading so it's both of those things combined. So I thought that it would be fun to do. and I tried it and liked it," said Lindsay.

She is the youngest volunteer in the program, but the kids see her as a mentor.

"It allows a child to feel more comfortable and also get excited because it is a peer," said Susan O'Carroll of the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County.

The Roving readers work with early learning programs in the county.

"Our volunteers build excitement for learning and especially in early literacy to better prepare young children for kindergarten," said O'Carroll.
The program lets children help children for a brighter, more literate future.

"I hope that they like the stories and I hope that they realize that it is fun to read," said Lindsay.

For more information about the Roving Readers program visit http://www.growingmindsread.org/roving-readers-program/