FPL and UF officials celebrate literacy movement for Florida kids

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Florida Power & Light (FPL) officials joined the University of Florida (UF) Lastinger Center for Learning to mark the inaugural New Worlds Reading Literacy Champion and Reading Literacy at the power company’s headquarters in Juno Beach.

New Worlds Reading is a literacy advocacy organization that supports students by building reading confidence and providing free books to encourage reading. The event in Juno Beach was part of the ManateeFest environmental and cultural celebration that drew about 10,000 people to the Manatee Lagoon Center in early February.

“At FPL, we are so pleased to support this program, which aims to make a difference in the lives of our students by providing them with books at an early age, opening the doors to a lifetime of learning,” said Pam Rauch, FPL vice president of external affairs and economic development. “We are committed to supporting the next generation of leaders and innovators in our state, and this program gives children a great start.”

The UF representatives were from the Lastinger Center for Learning, which has objectives similar to New Worlds Reading and assists in distributing books to young children. The UF center creates educational systems for children and educators that foster high-quality learning for success in school and life.

Mainly, the UF program focuses on getting children ready for kindergarten and continues to develop reading proficiency and even some math and algebra for kids through the third grade.

The FPL support of New Worlds Reading contributed to shipping more than 8 million books to Florida.

“We’re grateful for FPL’s unwavering support of New Worlds Reading,” said Shaunté Duggins, director of state initiatives for the UF Lastinger Center for Learning, “Together, we are empowering Florida’s next generation of readers to strengthen literacy skills and uncover a love of books.”

Students through the fifth grade are eligible for the New Worlds Reading programs. Books and materials provided by the program are available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole and braille. The program is administered in Florida through the UF Lastinger Center. The book titles for reading are decided on with input from the Florida Department of Education.