Jun 22, 2026 · 19 min · 11 segments
On this episode of Connecting Communities, host Leah Verier-Dunn sat with Ben Tollefson, consultant with The Patterson Foundation, to discuss the Suncoast Campaign for Grade Level Reading’s…
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Ben TollefsonGuestLeah Verier-DunnHostAnd, you know, a teacher of my son's who was one of our favorites always said, good readers always reread.
And so anytime someone is questioning, well, like, do I need to hang on to something like, yes, read it again, read it again.
I mean, what kid wouldn't want to get this big, bright backpack and bring it home? I have just a couple more questions, but I want to know, is there anything that I, we haven't discussed or haven't covered yet that you think is really important for families to know?
Well, the one thing I think is important that Beth ends every episode with, and it's part of the, I think the basic ethos of this book is cool, is that reading is the key to succeeding.
And, you know, a person who enjoys and knows how to read is going to make life a lot easier.
And it's going to just as far as succeeding in anything that you are interested in, reading is going to help you no matter what.
I mean, it shows up everywhere, you know, and I think we're focused on learning to read and this age range from pre-K to third grade, because after that you're reading to learn.
And so it's really important to get these skills and to try and fall in love with them so that you enjoy it along the way.
And, you know, a teacher of my son's who was one of our favorites always said, good readers always reread.
And so anytime someone is questioning, well, like, do I need to hang on to something like, yes, read it again, read it again.
I mean, what kid wouldn't want to get this big, bright backpack and bring it home? I have just a couple more questions, but I want to know, is there anything that I, we haven't discussed or haven't covered yet that you think is really important for families to know?
Well, the one thing I think is important that Beth ends every episode with, and it's part of the, I think the basic ethos of this book is cool, is that reading is the key to succeeding.
And, you know, a person who enjoys and knows how to read is going to make life a lot easier.
And it's going to just as far as succeeding in anything that you are interested in, reading is going to help you no matter what.
I mean, it shows up everywhere, you know, and I think we're focused on learning to read and this age range from pre-K to third grade, because after that you're reading to learn.
And so it's really important to get these skills and to try and fall in love with them so that you enjoy it along the way.
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