Do you have an explanation page about the Readathon?
Yes, download this page.
Is there a registration fee to join the Readathon?
Yes. Early registration is 40 NIS (before Jan. 14). After that date, the regular registration fee is 50 NIS.
Why is there a registration fee for participating in the Readathon?
The Readathon is a costly event. Printing flyers, posters, forms, etc; graphic design; hall rental and entertainment for the Award Ceremony; prizes for contest winners; advertising; lottery prizes; administrative costs; etc. All told, the outlay is upwards of 30,000 NIS. Therefore, in order to cover expenses, we ask for a registration fee.
Why should my child participate in the Readathon? What will he gain?
The primary benefit is the amazing value of getting your child to read English books for 5 weeks. This gives the child an incredible boost in their English literacy. Almost every Readathon participant gains a reading level or two by the end of the Readathon.
For our Torontonian participants, a real life connection between children in Toronto and their Israeli counterparts.
Admission to the Awards Ceremony which includes a terrific show!
There are prizes for every Israeli participant and raffle prizes for the adults!
A.H.A.V.A. gives the school that reads the most books 25 books for their English library.
The Tzedaka aspect (see question below).
What is the sponsorship and why should I do it?
A child who chooses to do sponsorship (download form here, sample letter for donor here) gains an additional educational lesson, and a positive incitement to read. A child who is struggling to read will feel it worthwhile because each book he reads will bring in more Tzedaka. Whether the child is raising 20 shekels per book, or 10 agorot per book is irrelevant. That he can raise money for Tzedaka through something he does is valuable.
Furthermore, for every 100 NIS that is raised an English book will be donated for their school's English library.
What happens at the Awards Ceremony?
We have a great time celebrating the amazing accomplishments of the hundreds of kids, teens and adults who all read 100,000's of page in the course of these 5 weeks! We have books for sale; a terrific performance; numbers of readers and books from each school is announced with much cheering from the audience; the winning school is proclaimed; and of course we hand out the prizes and vouchers to participants! Oh yes, there is a lottery of fun prizes for the adults amongst us too.
Does my child have to read in public?
No. All reading is done on his own. I suggest that the younger ones read the first few books out loud to their parents.
How do you know if a participant truly read her books?
We check the data of the online forms to make sure they are credible, together with parents' and teachers' evaluation.
What if I want to fill out a real non-online form?
No problem! You can download this form and if you want to have sponsors see sample letter for donors here. Just make sure to update the online form on the site by February 21 so we will know how many pages and books have been read.
What books should my child read? Books on his or her level. Your child should understand about 90% of the words in order for it to be read independently. If you are not sure of the level ask the English teacher or email us.
What should I do if my child only wants to read books that are too easy for her?
Tell her she can start with a couple easy ones and then ease her into the next level. Often children are fearful of taking that next step. Once they do, however, and realize that they enjoy the stories in the harder books all that much more, they just go full steam ahead.
Where do I get books?
Local library, English teacher, school library, friends etc. You can also find online books – check out this page.
Can I get a receipt for my donation?
YES. Visit our support page here.
Why are there logos of businesses on the bottom of the form?
Those businesses are sponsoring the Readathon. Use their services, and when you do - let them know how much your kids benefit from the Readathon.
