Relationships are important in every life. This is especially true when speaking of the relationship between a parent and a child. Parents are a child’s first teacher. Being there when the child brings home good grades, makes new friends, or even his latest adventures on the playground can be missed by a deployed parent. The United Through Reading Program helps bridge that gap by allowing a deployed soldier to share story-time with their child.
What is United Through Reading?
Established in 1989 by former educator Betty Mohlenbrock, United Through Reading is a nationally-based program aimed at strengthening the bond between a deployed parent or family member and the child through reading. Based in San Diego, the organization strives to give children a sense of comfort and relieve their anxieties about a parent being far away.
Parents can read the selected story on DVD or the child can follow along with the parent’s voice in the story book. The DVD is recorded by the deployed soldier at a USO or duty station overseas and is then sent back home. The books cater to all age ranges, from babies to young adults. The types of books range from easy readers to full chapter books. Topics vary, from childhood classics to learning how to connect during separation.
When selecting stories, the child and parent can enjoy such classics as Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and The Very Hungry Catepillar. New favorites include The Wimpy Kid Diaries and Twilight for older children. There is no fee for soldiers to send these books to their children.
United Through Reading Locations
In 2006, the United Service Organization (USO) joined forces with United Through Reading to establish centers to service members. According to the USO’s website, more than 100,000 books have been read by deployed soldiers in over 240 locations. Locations include Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Japan. Select airports, medical centers, and libraries in the United States also have USO Centers for soldiers to participate. A complete list of participants in the program can be found on United Through Reading.org.
United Through Reading also provides two other separate programs to keep the parent-child emotional bond established. One program is for children who may have a parent incarcerated or dealing with other social issues. The second program is geared toward grandparents. Due to the location of United Through Reading, only grandparents in the San Diego area can send their grandchildren these books to also read along to. Unfortunately, the option has yet to be extended outside California.
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