Kindergartner Cops: NJ Officers Help Foster A Love Of Reading

By Chelsea Lacey-Mabe

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ (CBS) -- Camden County police are going back to school for a good cause. Once a week they're carving out special story time for local Kindergartners and reading to them one-on-one as part of the Police and Congress Enjoy Reading Program (PACER).

Eighteen officers are currently enrolled in the program. For the past month they've dedicated an hour every Tuesday and Wednesday to students at Cream Elementary on Mulford Street and Sumner Elementary on South 8th Street. They read to the same two students for a half-hour at a time and many have formed a special bond.

Some of the officers even let the students wear their police caps while they read them their favorite stories.

"Reading is such an important part of every child's development.  In many cases, reading can be tied directly to comprehension, fluency, vocabulary and ultimately achievement," said Camden Mayor Dana Redd who read Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree to the class this past Wednesday.  "As an added benefit, the program also fosters positive interactions between young people, police officers and community leaders."

PACER is part of the regional BookMates initiative by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Southern New Jersey which aims to encourage a love of reading and foster positive interactions between police officers and the community. This is the second year of the initiative.

The Sumner Kindergartners were happy to take a selfie with Officers Tyrrell Bagby, Bianca Rivera and Alvin Cantona. They're excited to see their police buddies again next week.