Senator James H. Donovan founded a program called PARP, which stands for Parents As Reading Partners. Since he was very involved with the educational system and its programs, Jim Donovan witnessed first-hand the difficulties that children encountered while learning to read comfortably, and enlisted PARP as a means to help.

The program encourages parents to read out loud with their child for at least fifteen minutes every day. The experience is meant to introduce children to the joys of reading, showing them that it can be an enjoyable activity. The practice will also often boost the relationship between the child and parents. So that the child does not feel embarrassed, frustrated or discouraged, they should not read alone. Parents are encouraged to take turns reading aloud with their child. Today, the program has been integrated into many schools and education systems.