The significance and impact of literacy on student achievement and society is immense.

Schools and teachers are expected to address myriad tasks, none more substantial than the responsibility of building a child’s foundation for learning. From preschool on, teachers begin cultivating the most paramount of all skills — literacy.

As students initially learn to read and subsequently read to learn, teachers tirelessly strive to imbue the reading and writing skills critical to our students’ future success.

Teachers cannot accomplish this momentous task alone. Students spend a little over six hours of 180 school days a year in the classroom — or a scant 10-15 percent of each calendar year. The vast majority of their time is spent with family.

Unfortunately, job responsibilities and the lack of expertise in literacy development hinder many families in their ability to assist our children.

Fortunately, there are programs available to assist with developing family literacy skills and routines for individuals of all ages.

One particular program that has proven instrumental and effective here in Hawaii is the Read Aloud America Program (RAA/RAP).

Read Aloud America’s mission is to promote literacy, bond families and build communities of lifetime readers.

It offers a series of family literacy sessions over several months on a school’s campus that encourage parents to work with teachers and school staff in an energized, fun and exciting setting.

On average, these sessions draw more than 400 participants each evening. Students pester teachers about when the next session will be and the community also gets charged up. Throw in free pizza, snacks, drinks, free books and prizes and you have an extravaganza of total community involvement that is provided free of charge to families.

RAA/RAP has been involved with public education in Hawaii for 17-plus years and has worked with 89 different public schools hosting 149 programs. This year, by popular demand, we are fortunate enough to bring this program back for third time. Sadly, we are the only school on Oahu that has been afforded this invaluable opportunity.

As a nonprofit organization, RAA/RAP heavily depends on external funding to defray operational costs. Without the external grants that provide limited funding, the program wouldn’t exist.

Perhaps we need to be more proactive than reactive. Investing and funding for our future and our children’s future may help diminish the need to fund more social services in the long term. This program is what our state truly needs.

I know it has been instrumental in reaching our families and changing attitudes and values in their homes. Children are doing better in school as a result of this simple program.

RAA/RAP can continue to make the positive changes we need for our state’s future. Prevention is the key.

The numerous politicians and businesses that recognize the effectiveness and importance of these programs need to listen to the voices from our families before it is too late.

For our keiki and the future of Hawaii, no cost or effort is too much.