Six Flags launches children's literacy program, "Read to Succeed"
Available free of charge to K-6 schools, Read to Succeed Program rewards students with FREE admission tickets.

September 22, 2003

This month, Six Flags launches its highly successful children's literacy program, Read to Succeed, for the 2003 - 2004 school year. Six Flags theme parks from coast to coast will participate in the program, rewarding kids who read outside of the classroom and providing educators with free language arts curricula for their schools. Last year, Great America honored more students in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin through the literacy program than ever before.

Created by Six Flags, Read to Succeed is in its 18th year and is one of the most successful children's literacy programs in the United States. More than 1.5 million students and teachers completed the program last year and enjoyed a day of fun at their nearby Six Flags theme park. The new 2003 - 2004 program, designed by the Weekly Reader Corporation, teaches kids in grades K through 6 that reading is both rewarding and fun.

The free language arts curriculum available to educators is designed to meet educational standards for the English Language Arts as set forth by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. Students at schools who enroll in Read to Succeed are also eligible to participate in the Six Flags Six Hour Reading Club(tm). Each student who reads a minimum of six hours outside the classroom earns a ticket good for free admission to their nearest participating Six Flags theme park. Teachers who supervise the program also are rewarded with a free ticket.

"Reading can take children places they never dreamed of," said Hank Salemi, senior vice president of Six Flags, Inc. "Establishing a desire to read at a young age sets kids up for a lifetime of success and opens their minds to new horizons."

Enrollment is currently open to schools for their kindergarten through sixth grade students and is free of charge. Schools new to the program should be located within 150-miles of a Six Flags branded theme park. Enrollment is on a first come, first serve basis each year. Schools can enroll by calling 1-866-308-1362.