$1 Million for Reading Rainbow? Done

For children of the ‘80s and ‘90s, “Reading Rainbow” inspires nostalgia like few other TV shows.

That may explain why, when LeVar Burton began a Kickstarter campaign just over 24 hours ago, it caught on like wildfire. Though the beloved show’s host gave the online campaign 35 days to reach its target of $1,000,000, contributions hit that number early this morning and then continued climbing.

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Burton’s goal is to breathe new life into “Reading Rainbow,” not as the same TV show, but as an interactive website—with a yearly subscription fee—for home and classroom use. In his promotional video, Burton emphasized that while the program’s 2012 iPad app was a good start, he wants to expand the program’s reach to multiple technology platforms. He promises to provide free program subscriptions to low income schools.

Not everyone is on board, however, with some in the media arguing that there are far better ways to spend our money in the effort to improve childhood literacy. Some have also questioned the fact that Burton’s project is for-profit, unlike many Kickstarter campaigns.

An Outpouring of Support

As of Thursday morning, the Kickstarter campaign had over 38,000 backers and was closing in on $2 million in donations.

Comments from supporters emphasized the impact Burton’s show had on children of the past three decades:

“Loved the show, and I’m a bookseller now because of Reading Rainbow.”

“LeVar, you are awesome! This was my favorite show as a kid. I’m so glad that I can help keep Reading Rainbow alive!”

“Reading Rainbow changed my life. It ignited a passion for reading in me that lives on today.”

While nostalgia clearly played a role in many people’s choice to contribute, Burton has also incentivized the campaign, offering awards for pledges from $5 to $10,000. Prizes range from Reading Rainbow subscriptions, tee shirts and coffee mugs to much larger—and somewhat quirky— items, like a personalized voicemail message created by LeVar or a chance to attend dinner with the host and wear his “Geordi visor” from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Every Child, Everywhere

Burton’s new version of Reading Rainbow is significantly more tech-savvy than it used to be.

He hopes to drastically lessen the number of illiterate children in the U.S. by making Reading Rainbow available to kids who he calls “digital natives.” Burton feels that the way to connect with those kids is through both tablets and the web.

The project, as explained by the host in his promotional video, has three key goals:

–       Put Reading Rainbow online

–       Build a specialized classroom version of that web program

–       Deliver the program for free to schools in need

While that last point is key to Burton’s pledge to help “every child, everywhere” learn to love reading, the regular subscription fee for families or individuals will be roughly $60 per year, according to the Huffington Post. Similarly, schools with available funds will need to pay for a year-long subscription to the web-based platform.

Despite some criticism of that subscription cost, Burton argues that “you can’t put a price on education” and that the current system is failing kids and families, necessitating programs like Reading Rainbow.

Doubters

While there are plenty who swear by Reading Rainbow as a key component to their childhood education, some people aren’t wholly impressed by Burton’s latest move.

Caitlin Dewey, writing for the Washington Post, pointed out that the show was cancelled in 2009 for a reason: PBS producers felt that “the show was no longer the best way to teach kids reading skills.” She also quoted NPR, which noted in 2009 that early education efforts have been redirected toward phonics and reading fundamentals, rather than “fostering a love of books,” as a means of combatting childhood illiteracy.

Dewey also questions who the money is benefitting. Kickstarter has traditionally been used to help start-ups, charities, and small businesses get on their feet, so she wonders about the morality of “co-opting” the site to support “companies with profit motives and private investors of their own…which, despite Burton’s charisma, is exactly what the Rainbow reboot is.”

She lists several organizations that put more money directly toward supporting childhood literacy.

Whatever your take on the Reading Rainbow redo, it clearly has the support of many adults in the country, and it hardly seems like a bad thing to foster a love of reading. Now we’ll have to wait and see what today’s younger generation thinks, as the classic show catches up with 21^st century technology.

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