Deseret Media Companies' recently announced "Read Today" program recognizes and applauds the many outstanding literacy programs that are available in Utah. Each day, thousands of teachers, parents, professionals and volunteers are working to increase literacy in Utah. According to the 2009 NAEP (National Association of Education Professionals) test, Utah ranks 29th in the nation for the number of 4th graders that are reading at or above grade level.

Summer Reading Challenge  
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- Press Release: Deseret Media Companies Take Reading to a New Level
- KSL Coverage: Deseret Media Companies launch literacy program
- Deseret News Coverage: Deseret Management Corp.'s initiative is to reinforce childhood reading

Below you will find a summary of DMC's literacy focused programs, as well as many of the other great programs across the state.

Deseret Media Companies (DMC) is joining forces to educate women on conquering their financial problems through an engaging and interactive campaign called "Imagine A Happier You." Recent statistics show that nine out of ten women will be solely responsible for their finances at some point in their lives and that eighty-seven percent of poverty-stricken elderly Americans are women. DMC's "Imagine A Happier You" (IAHY) is focused on helping Utah women avoid becoming part of these statistics by providing weekly financial challenges, financial resources, and the opportunity to win a financial makeover, all via IAHY's website. Its website is currently under construction so for now you can fan IAHY on facebook here. IAHY's official kickoff is at the Zions Bank Smart Women Smart Money Conference on August 19.

The Deseret News presents Connect-123, a key component of the company’s Newspapers In Education (NIE) program. This program has received both state and national honors for its contributions to education and the community. The Deseret News is the only newspaper to receive top national honors for NIE Program Excellence continuously for an entire decade!

On the first Tuesday of every month, the Deseret News includes a special Connect-123 insert, full of news and activities for students of all ages. Students: Ask your teacher to order copies of Connect-123 for your classroom - it's FREE!

To date, Chapters of Hope has sent more than 40,000 books to children around the world—to such places as Zimbabwe, Ghana, Tonga, Fiji, Russia, and Israel. When appropriate, books will be sent to Haiti.

Help is still needed. Children in many developing areas of the world have little or no access to books. By donating just $1, or even the change from a purchase, you will be helping put a book into the hands of a child. Together we will be breaking down illiteracy and filling children’s minds with knowledge and dreams. To donate to Chapters of Hope, visit a Deseret Book retail store near you. By giving a book, you will be changing a life.

In the first few years, children learn more and at a faster pace than at any other time in life. You help shape your child's future through the kinds of experiences you provide. Your baby was born to learn, and as a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. Utah Parents as Teachers is here to help you!

Imagine Learning is the language and literacy solution, providing award-winning educational software to more than 100,000 students in schools across the United States and around the world. Students receive one-on-one instruction through hundreds of engaging activities specifically designed to meet their individual needs and provide real results.

Composed of the Waterford Early Reading Program™ and the Waterford Early Math and Science™ program, Waterford Early Learning™ is designed to help all children build the foundation necessary for a lifetime of learning. With classrooms becoming larger and more diverse every year, traditional teaching methods aren’t enough. Waterford Early Learning individualizes up to four years of comprehensive reading, math, and science to give teachers, parents, and students the tools they need to succeed.

In a nutshell, people generally remember about twice as much when they see and hear something, than when they only see or hear it. Television's combination of sound and imagery renders it a powerful aid to learning. In fact, a positive relationship has been found between childhood viewing of educational television and cognitive performance at preschooler and college levels. Children's viewing of educational television has been shown to support significant and lasting learning gains, while too much viewing of other types of programming may be associated with a lack of academic achievement.

Welcome to the UCRL! We are located in the College of Education at the University of Utah. We offer services to parents and teachers of students PreK-12 as well as researchers in reading and writing processes and instruction. Our goals are to:

• support teachers with resources and information about best practices in literacy instruction
• educate parents about the importance of literacy in early reading
• provide researchers with access to information about current research and scholarship in literacy

Please take a look at our menu to find the link to the information that meets your needs. We look forward to serving you.

You can help by donating your unwanted books at one of our Reading Tree book bins. We accept all types of books - children's, adult, hardback and paperback. Children's books will be donated to schools, family literacy programs, and international libraries - over 1.6 million books were donated to such programs in 2008! Unusable books will be recycled, preventing unnecessary additions to our nation's landfills, and some books may be sold to help pay for our programs.

Encourage your friends and family to get involved by donating books to Reading Tree!

Reading is the basic tool for success in school, work, and life and must be laid early in childhood. Every child is important and deserves to become literate. The Governor's Commission on Literacy encourages every Utahn to read aloud and read stories with their children each day to help them develop a larger vocabulary, a longer attention span, better listening skills, and a solid reading foundation. Reading together will also build stronger relationships and will be fun.

We can't afford to wait until a child enters school at age 5 or 6 to start thinking about learning and literacy. The early years of life are no less important for a child's physical, social, and emotional development than the school years. In fact, the first years of life may set a child's course for success or failure in all future development. Many researchers agree that by the time they enter kindergarten, children have achieved 50 percent of the intelligence that they will have as adults.