Volunteers with HISD’s Read Houston Read program gathered together Tuesday to help get the program rolling.

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“They’re here today to prepare the Flip Kits that are actually going to be used in the schools,” said Kallie Benes with the Children’s Museum of Houston. “They are cutting ribbons, laminating supply sheets, taping the materials into the supply kit, putting books into the each kit, and putting all the materials into a Kit bag.”

Volunteers prepared 1,000 Flip Kits to go into 40 HISD schools. Each school will be supplied with 25 Flip Kits for first graders.

HISD is asking for Houstonians to volunteer for HISD’s Read Houston Read program, to mentor first-graders at selected elementary schools as part of the district’s Literacy By 3 movement. Read Houston Read volunteers can sign up for a weekly one-hour mentoring session at a school, where they will work with two first-graders in half-hour sessions — listening to them read, doing an activity related to the book, and reading another book to them. The books and activities are included in the Flip Kits that are available at the schools.

An online, half-hour weekly session is also offered through Innovations for Learning and its TutorMate© program that allows anyone with a computer and Internet connection to become a mentor.

HISD aims for the combination of focused, personalized strategies and the commitment of volunteers through Read Houston Read to help the district turn the corner on the literacy crisis in Houston. Literacy By 3 launched at the beginning of the school year. Its goal is to have children reading on grade level by the end of Grade 3, and to help older students catch up with their reading skills.

For more information about Read Houston Read or to start the application process, click here. All applicants will be screened through a background check.