Transcript It Takes a Branch to Raise a Child:

Born to Read
Promoting Early Literacy Skills in
the Westerville Community
WHAT IS IT?
Born to Read is a partnership between
the City of Westerville, Immediate
Health Associates, Otterbein College,
and the Westerville Public Library.
Our mission is simple: to communicate
the importance of early literacy to the
Westerville community.
EARLY LITERACY
DEFINED
Early literacy (or emergent literacy) is
what children know about reading and
writing before they can actually read
and write. It IS NOT teaching
children how to read.
www.ohreadytoread.org
Why is it
important?
Our community needs it
• Over 1/3 of Ohio Kindergartners start school unprepared to
learn
• For 60%, reading is not an easily acquired skill
• 90-95% of poor readers can reach average reading skills
with early intervention
• If intervention is delayed until 9 years, 75% still have
difficulty
• Knowledge of alphabet letters at start of Kindergarten is a
strong predictor of reading ability in 10th grade
• Low income moms read only 25 hours to children before K
compared to average of 1,200 hours (22% of Westerville
students are economically disadvantaged according to ODE
stats from 2007-2008)
• KRAL (Kindergarten Readiness Assessment in Literacy)
scores – 16.56% in Westerville need intense instruction
Pre-K programs
are not enough
• Babies are born learning, and what they learn is up to adults
• The brain is especially receptive to stimulation in the area
of language acquisition during the first three years.
• Synapse development greatest between ages 0-6
• Physiological impact of stress on learning shows need for
safe, happy learning environments
• Children need daily involvement, storytime and preschool
programs are not enough -- we have to reach the adults to
ensure that these skills are being addressed at home
Synaptic Density
The Six Early Literacy Skills
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Print Motivation
Print Awareness
Letter Knowledge
Vocabulary
Phonological Awareness
Narrative Skills
Print Motivation
• The child’s interest in and enjoyment
of books
• Why? Children who enjoy books and
being read to will have an interest in
learning to read.
Print Awareness
• Noticing print, knowing how to handle
a book, and how to follow the written
word on a page
• Why? When children feel
comfortable with books, they can
focus on reading.
Letter Knowledge
• Learning to name letters, knowing
they have sounds, and recognizing
them everywhere
• Why? To learn to read, children
must understand that words are
made up of smaller parts and each
letter has its own role to play.
Vocabulary
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Knowing the names of things
Why? Children need to know the
meanings of words to help them
understand what they are reading.
Helps when kids start reading – like
a mental database.
Phonological Awareness
• The ability to hear and play with
smaller sounds in words
• Why? Will help children sound out
words when they begin to read.
Narrative Skills
• The ability to describe things and
events and tell stories
• Why? Being able to talk about and
explain what happens in a story helps
a child understand that meaning of
what he or she is reading. Good
narrative skills lead to good
comprehension.
How Can Your
Organization Get
Involved?
Distribute the Book
• We have created a pamphlet with useful
information for parents and caregivers
• Distributed free of charge
• Includes coupon for a free board book
Host Parent/Caregiver
Events
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Workshops
Series of “modeling” storytimes
Program tailored to your organization
All programs offered free of charge
Donate
• Support printing of the pamphlet or
purchase of the free board books
• As a sponsor, your organization will
be recognized on either the Born to
Read book or the free board books
Questions? Suggestions?
• If you have any questions or
suggestions for advancing the
program, please feel free to contact
us at any time.