With all the technological distractions, it has become increasingly more difficult to tune young people into reading.
But with the help of money raised during The Prince George Citizen's annual Raise a Reader initiative, local groups are working to set kids on the right literacy path.
Last September, volunteers in bright orange T-shirts handed out special editions of The Citizen in exchange for donations that were used for a literacy grant within the community.
About $12,000 was raised locally for the program, with sponsorship and matching grants bringing that to approximately $24,000. Eleven projects were funded with 2011 Raise a Reader money.
One of the beneficiaries was Quinson elementary school, which has combined reading with the most important meal of the day.
The school, designated by the school district as a tier-one inner city school, has a population that faces significant social, emotion and financial difficulties. Many of the families do not regularly access a library, read newspapers, magazine or other print materials.
With $3,200 in funding from Raise a Reader, the school was able to enhance its regular breakfast program by introducing a family pancake breakfast one Friday per month with a literacy focus - storytellers, literary scavenger hunts and theatre all played a role.
The school's Breakfast and Books program provides food not only for the body, but also for the brain. But with a breakfast fee of only 25 cents, the school needed some help to make it a reality.
"When reading to children, they like to see the pictures. Part of the funding was used to purchase a document camera," explained Quinson principal Lynda Stoppler. Putting together a table scavenger hunt also required purchasing multiple copies of magazines for each table to participate.
"We're spreading the message of magazines around. There's more to reading that just a book," Stoppler said.
The money also gave the school the security to know they could operate the program without running out of money trying to feed additional students and their parents with the popular pancake meal.
And just as important as getting kids involved with reading is bringing families together.
"We don't do it as a preachy thing," Stoppler said. "Any time you can encourage parents to come in and engage is great."
The Family YMCA of Prince George is planting the seeds before kids even reach school.
Neighbourhood Scholars launched in October as a half-day program for pre-school aged youngsters in the North Opsika area with help from a $3,000 Raise a Reader grant.
"What we've seen in the statistics is that the vulnerability is continuing to increase, despite having a fair bit of social structures," said YMCA director of childcare services Lynette Mikalishen.
Five mornings a week, participants are picked up and brought to the Highland Family Development Centre for a morning of activities that encourage reading.
One of the major barriers this program helps families to overcome is transportation, which is provided with the free program.
"We're really trying to give kids the opportunity to come and do those pre-reading type skills," Mikalishen said.
While the response has not been as high as organizers hoped - only about 10 of the program's 20 spots are filled - Mikalishen said the registered participants and their families have been appreciative and enjoying the sessions.
"It is a definite feel-good for the community and the YMCA," she said. "To me it's the ripple effect. One of those children's lives that we change, how many lives will they touch and change? We don't know right, so I think that's pretty cool."
