Little Ones’ Literacy Program fosters love of reading at NSISD

Historic Harvard University President Charles W. Eliot once said, “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”

And thanks to Laneville resident Ray Hartenstein and his free book gifting program, the Little Ones’ Literacy (LOL) Program, the youngest of New Summerfield Independent School District’s current alumni now have the friendship, the counsel and the teachings of their very own, brand new books.

“My children have loved having Mr. H. come to school, read to them and help them grow their library at home,” Valerie Loeffler Reuter posted on the school’s Facebook page.

NSISD administrators recently presented Hartenstein, lovingly referred to as Mr. H. by students and faculty alike, with a plaque to thank him for his service to the district.

“For years Mr. H. has blessed our preschool children with free books and the joy of reading to them,” a post from the school on the NSISD’s Facebook page states. “Also, Mr. Ray Hartenstein has given so much to our community through the Imagination Library. Thank you, Mr. H.!”

NSISD Superintendent Dr. Brian Nichols added, “We’re so blessed to be a part of Mr. H.’s book program. It really means a lot to our students and helps us foster a love of reading early.”

Mr. H. said he initially began his free book program at schools in Rusk County about eight years ago, through country singer Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program. He’s since been able to expand the LOL book-gifting program into Cherokee and other counties.

“I’m so pleased to be able to work with the New Summerfield school district,” Mr. H. said. “I’m looking for more opportunities to expand further into Cherokee County, too.”

According to the program’s website, Parton’s Imagination Library is a “book gifting program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth until they begin school, no matter their family’s income.”

Parton launched her program in 1995 in Sevier County, Tenn., where she grew up. It caught on so well, the program went national in 2000. Currently, the program also reaches students in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. As of this month, 111,035,635 free books have been mailed to children up to age 5 through Parton’s program.

According to the National Education Association (NEA)’s website, when children read on a regular basis, they gain the crucial components of becoming a good reader.

“Young readers need to become practiced at recognizing letters and sounds,” the NEA’s website states. “The only way to get good at it is to practice. The more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency. The Educational Testing Services has reported students who do more reading at home are better readers and have higher math scores; however, students read less for fun as they get older.”

Mr. H. said, “My motto is ‘get ‘em while they’re young.’ I want all our children to get the opportunity to learn to love to read.”

And by ‘young,’ Mr. H. isn’t fooling around. Through his LOL program he’s working with a Rusk County hospital to get new mothers signed up for his program.

“We provide every new mom with a copy of ‘The Little Engine That Could,’ and since 99.9 percent of children in Rusk County are born there (at that hospital), we’re getting quite a few served.”

The LOL program currently serves more than 600 children under the age of 5, in several school districts, including New Summerfield, Cushing, Mt. Enterprize, Laneville and Henderson, Mr. H. said. He said he gets his books at an extremely reasonable price through Firstbook.org.

“As long as I’m giving to at-risk or low-income kids – and that’s what most of our kids are, unfortunately – I can get books by the case for as little as 35 cents a book,” Mr. H. explained. “It really is a great deal!”

Firstbook.org states, “Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 175 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low income families in more than 30 countries. First Book currently reaches an average of 3 million children every year and supports more than one in four of the estimated 1.3 million classrooms and programs serving children in need. With an additional 1,000 educators joining each week, First Book is the largest and fastest-growing network of educators in the United States exclusively serving kids in need.”