Imagine children spending hours each week sitting in their parent’s lap as they read a favorite storybook together. Then imagine these same children arriving at Kindergarten already in love with reading. Children in Alexander County enrolled in More at Four classrooms are going to make this vision a reality through a literacy initiative- Raising A Reader!
As a Raising a Reader affiliate, Alexander County Partnership is pleased to announce the introduction of this critically acclaimed reading program for ten More at Four classrooms and 159 preschoolers. The purpose of Raising A Reader is to foster healthy brain development, parent-child bonding and early literacy skills critical for school success by engaging parents in a routine of daily “book cuddling” with their children. One in three children entering kindergarten lacks basic pre-reading skills, which is proven to be a key factor in determining high-school graduation and lifelong success. There is a need at the national, state, and local level for effective early literacy programs.
Each week, bright red book bags filled with beautiful picture books will be rotated into homes. The book bag and its contents quickly will become a child's favorite toy resulting in an irresistible request: “Please read to me!” Raising a reader will instill a love of reading in children that lasts a lifetime. Based on a proven theory of change, Raising A Reader is a child-driven program encompassing early childhood educators, parents and librarians in a coordinated “read-aloud” effort.
Alexander County early childhood professionals attended and afternoon training at the Partnership for Children on the Raising a Reader program. Ashley Benfield, Provider Support Specialist and Raising a Reader Coordinator taught ways to engage parents in “read-aloud” strategies anchored to language development research and storytelling traditions. These approaches will help inspire families to share books with their children. The program and its materials are age-appropriate and tailored to suit the diverse cultural traditions, ethnic and linguistic demographics present in Alexander County today.
Funding for this literacy initiative is provided by More at Four. Alexander County Partnership for Children is a United Way agency.
