Palmer Pharmacy in West Deer wants to get children reading more

Teaching children to read and developing an interest in books from a young age is important.

That’s why Palmer Pharmacy in West Deer is starting its “Ready to Read Program.”

“Our goal really is to partner with parents and educators to develop literacy skills and foster a love of reading at an early age in children,” said pharmacy co-owner Kaitlyn Sullivan.

Sullivan and her grandfather, Kurt Nestel, created the program, which gives children free books and rewards them for reading them.

The program doesn’t start until November, but children can stop at the pharmacy to get books now. The books range from beginner-level picture books to chapter books.

“We take donations of books,” Sullivan said. “Hopefully, people give some of those books new homes.”

Participation is simple. Stop at the pharmacy in the township’s Russellton area and take home three books in your reading level. After you read all three, come back to the pharmacy any Friday in November to read one of the books, or a section of the book, to a program volunteer.

If you’re able to do that, you get a voucher for a reward and advance to the next reading level.

Children who successfully read to a volunteer can choose between:

• A free Palmer’s milkshake.

• A free one-topping Bambino (personal) pizza from Zrebny’s Pizza.

• $3 off a Zrebny’s Pizza purchase.

The pharmacy worked with a librarian to determine where the books would rank in reading level.

“We’re really targeting kindergarten, when you’re starting to read, to third grade, but it’s open to anyone who wants to learn how to read,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said children are welcome to keep the books if they enjoy them.

“They have to bring them back at least to read one of them to one of the volunteers. But if they just let us know that they want to keep the book, that’s fine,” Sullivan said.

Nestel and his girlfriend, Margaret Zook, are two of the volunteers. After his retirement as an electrical engineer, he spent close to 20 years tutoring grade school-age children in Canton, Ohio.

The program also will provide rewards for children who help their siblings read.

“Especially with this virus, so many kids are home and some don’t have great access or parents pushing them on the internet,” Nestel said. “So I thought: Just get them reading, and then give them rewards for reading.”

Sullivan said the program will continue past November if it receives a good response. She would like to partner with other area businesses to possibly offer different rewards.