"Good evening whirled the dragonfly, lighting above the water." Nine-year-old Elijah Mitchell is reading to students at El Concilio Preschool in Stockton.
University of the Pacific compiled a report card showing that only 34 percent of third graders in San Joaquin County were proficient in English.
However, Pacific School of Education Dean Lynn Beck says truancy is down, preschool enrollment is up, and one other critical factor shows improvement.
"Birth to moms without a high school education including teen moms has dropped, so we want moms to get high school diplomas." - Lynn Beck, Pacific School of Education
Maricela Gonzales says reading to her two young boys has made a difference. "The reading actually helps me bond with my children, it helps them bond with me also," she says.
The report stresses that the ability to read proficiently by the third grade is crucial a child's future education.
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