“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax all you need is a book!” – Dr. Seuss
On February 23rd, 2019 the Alabama men’s basketball team hosted a #Fight4Literacy Game presented by International Paper.
The coaching staff wore green to promote childhood reading and fans were invited to make donations to help local students become better readers.
With over $9,000 raised, hundreds of kids across the state received critical literacy support.
Alberta Head Start Enhances Early Literacy Skills Thanks to Coaching for Literacy and International Paper
As an avid reader, I do love curling up with a good book, but what I love doing, even more, is sharing my love of reading and books with the children I work with at Alberta Head Start. My favorite part of any day at Head Start is reading books. Reading to children is one of the best parts of being a preschool teacher because there so many possibilities—you can transform yourself into a princess, an evil ogre or a superhero just by changing your voice and facial expressions; transport the children to magical worlds and secret universes with a wave of your hand, or ease a child’s reluctance to interact by making her part of the story.
Reading books to children not only increases language development and skills, but it also helps cognitive and social-emotional development. As children learn language, they must be able to hear it as well as see it. Reading books does exactly that. It is even better when there are follow up activities after the story. For example, examining ladybugs after reading Eric Carle’s The Grouchy Ladybug or making gingerbread cookies after reading The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth. During these activities, science, math, and language skills are used—learning about living things, counting, measuring, comparing, predicting, recalling details, to name a few.
The positive impact that reading books have on children’s development cannot be emphasized enough. Books are a necessary part of childhood and I cannot fathom a classroom or a home without them. For children attending Head Start, a home with no or very few books is a reality; so is having no one to read to them. Therefore, it is important for teachers here at Alberta Head Start to not only read to the children but follow the books with fun learning activities as well.
Albert Head Start/Early Head Start Center received $3,051.00 from Coaching for Literacy. With this grant, we purchased several literacy materials to help enhance early learning skills, vocabulary, and literacy environments. With these, the developments of pre-reading and cognitive skills are enhanced while we provide early childhood development services and family initiatives to pre-school age children and their families that lead to school readiness and improves family functioning.
Of course, reading is not just limited to teachers and books are not just limited to the ones already at school. Parents, community leaders, and volunteers are invited and encouraged to come read to our children. If people are unable to find time to read, donations of books and other materials are most welcome. Anything that we can do to make reading the rule rather than the exception, will go a long way in setting these children on the path to literacy and school success.
Written by Carlisa Sullivan, Alberta Head Start
