Thousands of Grade 1 students in Caloocan City will soon be learning how to read the fun and easy way, thanks to the city government’s decision to adapt the reading program of the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).
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n a simple ceremony, Caloocan City Mayor Recom Echiverri signed a memorandum of agreement with RMHC to enroll the city’s 30,000 Grade 1 pupils in McDonald’s Bright Minds Read program.
The program involves training teachers on how to effectively teach reading and providing reading materials in big book format to Grade 1 students. It has been developed and tested as a major breakthrough in teaching reading to children.
"This is an important day for the children of Caloocan," said Echiverri who tapped the support of the Caloocan Chamber of Commerce to raise funds for the program.
"This day we are formally investing in the future of our city. By adapting Bright Minds Read, we are ensuring that the children of Caloocan will learn how to read and will develop the love for reading," the newly-elected mayor added.
Caloocan’s 59 public elementary schools will take part in Bright Minds Read starting this month, with the students expected to be able to decipher what is written on their books by the end of the school year. Each school will get a Bright Minds Read kit composed of teacher training modules, teaching aids and illustrated books written by Filipino authors and promoting Filipino values.
Zonito Torrevillas, public relations manager of McDonald’s, said Caloocan is the first local government unit to adapt Bright Minds Read.
"We commend Mayor Echiverri for his noble decision to prioritize the education of his constituents. Reading is the cornerstone of learning and through Bright Minds Read, we want to make sure that our children will grow up to become lifelong learners," she said.
Bright Minds Read started two years ago as McDonald’s response to the government’s call for help in teaching public school pupils how to read. Through a partnership with the Department of Education National Capital Region (DepEd-NCR), McDonald’s developed a beginning reading program complete with teacher’s materials and books for children.
