Byrd First Class Early Learning Center welcomed 50 guests Thursday to spread the joy of reading.

The school held a special day as part of the Jean Dean Reading is Fundamental program. Volunteers came to the school and spent time reading books provided by RIF to students.

The nonprofit is designed to provide children’s literature to low-income children, but lost its national funding several years ago. Reading is Fundamental now relies on contributions from Alabama partners to keep it going.

“[The day of reading] is a great way to get the community into the school and seeing what the money is going to and how valuable it is to read,” Byrd principal Carolyn Keasal said. “The kids love having somebody else read the story.”

RIF holds three books distributions every year, providing three books per child to head starts, state-sponsored daycares, early intervention centers, daycares and some primary schools, according to the organization.

The learning center recently received its first distribution and wanted to celebrate by reading the new books to the children.

Keasal said that from birth to age 4 is when the brain develops fastest, making it a vital time when children need to hear language to become better readers later in life.

“Young children’s picture books has a higher level of vocabulary than the conversation of two college graduates,” Keasal said. “They get more than reading a picture book to them from than just listening to us talk.”

It’s important to get children excited about books that they want to read them repeatedly, Keasal said.

Gathering volunteers to help with the process wasn’t a very difficult task for the schools with so many eager to help out. District Judge Bob Armstrong, Jamie Alvey from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Ann Thomas with ArtsRevive were just a few to join in the day of reading.

“It’s really a great thing to feel that kind of support,” Keasal said.

It costs about $3,000 to support RIF at Byrd, which has 259 students, Keasal said. Keasal said she has high hopes that local partners will continue to donate necessary funds, so its Byrd First Class Early Learning Center students can continue to benefit from RIF.

“We haven’t gotten that money much money yet, so we’re relying on the rest of the state of Alabama to donate enough money,” Keasal said. “I’m hoping by getting people in and making them aware of the project, maybe I can garner more support from the community to fund this.”

For more information about how to donate, call Keasal at (334) 874-1620.