Independent reading has been flourishing at TOAST over the past eight years with the help of our participation in the Reading is Fundamental Program. RIF is a reading incentive program that is available as a partnership between the TOAST community and public/private sectors. It is a children's and family literacy program that helps prepare young children for reading and motivates older children to read, at no cost to them or to their families. The concept is simple: "Children will read more if you give them a chance to choose and keep books and involve them in activities that make reading fun." The TOAST PTA has provided support for the program. This support is an important factor in its success at TOAST since research shows that parents' involvement in their children's reading is a critical element in the creation of lifelong readers.

At TOAST, books are selected and purchased to encourage the reading habit, offering several reading choices each year to all students, grades Pre-K through grade 6. At least 2000 books have found their way into the personal libraries of TOAST children annually. All participants agree that reading is "fun" and "fundamental" and that RIF is a success at TOAST!