Pick a Reading Partner

2022 PARP APPLICATION: NOW CLOSED

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 formal education.

PARP is a program that asks a partner (parent, grandparent, babysitter, older sibling, cousin, friend, etc.) to read with a child for at least 20 minutes daily.

PARP, developed in 1978 by NYS Senator James Donovan, is a program that cements the necessary bond between the home and the school to encourage love of reading in our children.  The program was originally named Parents As Reading Partners but was changed in 2015 to support more inclusive language.

PARP programs vary in length, there is no annual or required theme, and can run at little to no cost!

NYS PTA has created the Pick A Reading Partner (PARP) Toolkit (Coming Soon – updated 2023-24 version) for your review! And Check out these great ideas on how to PARP in a Virtual Environment!

Improve Your Student’s Reading Level
in 3 Months or Less…Guaranteed!

SPECIAL NYS PTA OFFER!

Register NOW and receive our  One-Year Premium Subscription for 58% off!
$180 ONLY $75 per child for NYS PTA Members

LightSail for Reading at Home is a digital literacy platform with tens of thousands of books, audiobooks, and multimedia.  We check students’ fluency and comprehension levels, because saying the words out loud doesn’t mean students are comprehending what they read.  Based on their scores, we personalize a library just for them, with perfect books at their just-right reading level.  As they read, we continue to assess their project, and their library adapts and grows along with them.  Interconnected resources hook students and encourage them to deep dive into information, especially with our wide range of multimedia, including Livestreams, Videos, and TED ED Talks, and our partnership with World Book Digital Encyclopedia.  We bring the books to them to make the magic happen!  If they read for just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, we GUARANTEE their reading skills will improve in 3 months or less!

We’re so excited to support your Pick a Reading Partner initiative as well!  When you PARP with LightSail, you can create a Book Club to read and discuss books together anytime, anywhere! Plus, you’ll never have overdue fines or lose your book!  You can read online with interactive books, audiobooks, and ebooks, or use our personalized reader to make the text work for you.  With LightSail, you can read YOUR way!

And we’re not just about reading!  We have a writing platform as well, where students can enjoy writing in a variety of ways, and even author and publish their own digital books!

Sign up for our FREE TRIAL right now to see how your family can LightSail with us!

Literacy Resources

Check out these Parent Resources for ideas on literacy! You can find information for:

National PTA also has a new reading program, the Family Reading Experience.