Read to ME

The Read to ME Challenge is a month-long public awareness campaign to promote childhood literacy in Maine held annually during February. This year the Maine DOE will be kicking off the Read to ME Challenge on February 1st with the Commissioner doing a special reading – more information will be forthcoming via the Maine DOE Newsroom. We encourage you to join the challenge by sharing moments that encourage literacy with children of all ages. 

Read to ME Challenge logo

What is the Read to ME Challenge?

The Read to ME Challenge is an opportunity to contribute to a child’s literacy growth by reading aloud in any language to one or more children for at least 15 minutes. The steps for taking the challenge are listed below and you can access resources to promote the challenge through the links on the left-hand side of this page.  You can also read about how the challenge is spreading across Maine by visiting the Read to ME Challenge articles.

Steps for Taking the Read to ME Challenge

  • Read to and/or have a child/children read to you in any language for at least 15 minutes. 
  • Read an engaging book, chapter of a novel, newspaper or magazine article, comics, nursery rhymes, or poetry. 
  • Capture a photograph or short video (15-30 seconds) of yourself reading to the child.
  • Use #ReadtoME or #ReadaloudME to post the photo or video on social media with your challenge to others to read aloud 15 minutes to a child or children they know.
  • Recommended social media platforms include: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Youtube. 
  • If you live a distance from a child you’d like to read to, use Zoom or Facetime to read aloud via digital means.
  • Additional ways to participate in the Read to ME Challenge:
    • Donate a book to a school or public library, a food cupboard, a homeless shelter, or a little free library near where you live.
    • Sing to or have a conversation with a child (these methods build language, too).
    • Visit the Read Across America site for additional resources and ideas. 

For more information, contact Danielle Saucier, Inclusive Education Literacy Specialist, Maine Department of Education, Office of Special Services & Inclusive Education.