PRIME TIME and Shell make impact in five states

Building on PRIME TIME’s six-year success is the recent announcement of a $175,000 gift from Shell Oil Company to the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. This significant contribution will support the delivery of Family Reading Time Programs and HomeRoom teacher professional development workshops located near Shell operations in the Gulf Coast.

Now in its 26^th year, Family Reading Time provides underserved families with the opportunity to read and discuss children’s literature in familiar settings such as schools, libraries, and community centers within their hometowns. PRIME TIME’s story-sharing and discussion model emphasizes the importance of curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, and conversation-inquiry-based traits and skills that lead to a lifelong love of learning. The result, as documented by years of robust data collection and analysis, are families who are more likely to bond together around reading and discussion, and children who are more successful in schools.

The support will extend the reach and impact of PRIME TIME’s award-winning methodology to classrooms across the Gulf South through robust trainings and HomeRoom workshops. These professional development opportunities build educator skills by using engaging texts, images, and artifacts in classroom discussions throughout grade levels and subject areas. Teachers who are PRIME TIME trained return to their classrooms with the ability to launch conversations that foster critical thinking–building cultures of collaboration and inquiry in their schools.

Since 2012, the impact of Shell’s investment in PRIME TIME programming has been massive. $1.5 million in support from Shell has allowed PRIME TIME to reach 1,998 families and 510 teachers in five states. Beyond the life of each program, more than 19,980 books have been added to participating families’ home libraries. This latest donation turns the page to a future with more PRIME TIME achievements.