You may be one of the good-hearted people who are looking for a great year end investment to help needy kids. We all deserve good things out of life, and it is within our power to help others have the seeds of better tomorrows for themselves and their children. This is a time of year when many look for a way to invest in caring for others, and in the process we improve life for everyone.
Your investment in our action plan can help parents of at-risk infants and toddlers become able enough to share appropriate early literacy techniques. Literacy for Tykes offers step-by-step guidelines to parents who have not read to their child at all previously. Often they do not have a concept of early child reading , because they were not read to as a little child themselves. They had a hard time in school and often they dropped out before graduating high school. They don't relate to literacy as a positive experience. Yet many of these parents want a better life for their child.
Parents who put forth the effort to go to pre-screening for Headstart or state-funded pre-ks for low income are seeking help for their child. Staff of these educational services want to offer our materials to these pre-screening parents, with instruction to read the step-by-step guideline picture book to their child. They encourage the parents with our Tip Sheet and Spanish Translation Inserts to make the process seem more do-able. The results are amazing.
Children of this late 3yr /early 4 yr age are like sponges, and the Spring to Fall interval in a perfect time for them to absorb early visual literacy, familiarity with books, pointing at objects when mentioned: all steps that will help the child feel more confident by time he or she gets to the group class experience in the Fall.
This action plan provides often a first exposure for the child to useful lifelong learning skills. Also the parents feel better because they have a do-able way to improve their child's chances at school. Most parents want to do that, and our plan empowers them with appropriate early literacy skills to share. This plan strengthens the family literacy, as well as the child's grasp of basic sound /picture correlation.
Take advantage of this opportunity to invest in a brighter future for these many needy families. We all will benefit, by less need of expensive of public remedial education, and economic burden of high school drop outs. "It only takes one serious yes, one declaration", says Kendra Thornbury, to open you up to the joy of knowing you have helped these at-risk children and their families.
Go to www.LiteracyForTykes.com (see live link on right side of this blog page) to invest with Paypal button. One click away.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Tweets
- M : Make the most of merry moments.
- E : Exude excellent energy everywhere.
- R : Read really rollicking rhymes.
- R : Revere relatives' roles respectfully.
- Y : Yield yourself to younger yearnings.
- C : Care carefully for children & children's children.
- H : Have happy heartfelt holidays
- R : Relish reading with relatives.
- I : Initiate inspiring incidents.
- S : Send sentiments so sweetly.
- T : Tell tales til turtledoves twirl tree tops.
- M : Make merry motions many mornings.
- A : Author anthems of appreciation.
- S : Smile singing simply satisfying songs.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
CHRISTMAS TWEETS
- C : Care carefully for children & children's children.
- H : Have happy heartfelt holidays.
- R : Relish reading with relatives.
- I : Initiate inspiring incidents.
- S : Send sentiments so sweetly.
- T : Tell tales til turtledoves twirl tree tops.
- M : Make merry motions many mornings.
- A : Author anthems of appreciation.
- S : Smile singing simply satisfying songs.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Share Early Literacy Time to Increase Needed Learning Skills
Parents need to understand, the neural pathways needed for literacy and lifelong learning skills are ideally created by positive experiences from active-infant stage through early pre-K stage. This is a narrow four-year period before kindergarten. Later remedial literacy efforts are difficult because the needed neural network is not present in the child's brain.
This underscores the point that education starts in the home. Even parents who do not consider themselves to be qualified to be their child's first teacher can learn basic picture-book-reading techniques in time . Years of early reading experience before kindergarten make for reading and school readiness.
Dana Foundation researched Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts and the Brain (120 pages), an intersection of cognitive neuroscience, the arts and learning. http://bit.ly/4ovu3r (1.47MB HTML). This study supports early picture book reading and other arts exposure to develop essential neural pathways for lifelong learning skills. Mariale Hardiman, Janet Eilber, Susan Magsamery, Guy McKhann all looked into the effects of early arts education on aspects of cognition and learning.
The children without earlier lap reading time with parents, have been the study at least one Kindergarten remedial project. A kindly visiting adult reader can help establish some social skills and learning skills in children who have been acting out in frustration. The premise of this study was the children were acting out because they never had the nurture relating to positive learning "reading can be fun".
These children had felt left out of the fun that other children seemed to have with books, and assumed the school experience was hostile for them. This project did help smooth out the frustration. Though they may never catch up with the 50% of agemates with the earlier fun/reading start, they felt better about themselves. Someone was finally showing them what they were missing. This project is exceptionally enlightened and not the norm across the board.
This second window of remedial adult/child reading interaction is closed by age 8 years. If an at-risk child does not experience some kind of intervention by then, the child remains 2 years behind agemates throughout school and is 3 to 4 times more likely to drop out of high school before graduation. In the vernacular, they feel like "the cards are stacked against them".
The social fallout of the currently escalating drop out rate is increased crime, increased unemployment rates, increased population in prisons, increased public expenses, increased need for taxes, decreased national productivity and quality of life. For these reasons economists are saying the best investment anyone can make to strengthen our society is in early literacy, arts and health intervention in ages birth through age 5 years.
In one such program currently done in Minnesota, home visitors coach parents on effective early literacy techniques and health issues for the first 3 years. Then for parents who co-operated with that phase, funding is made available sufficient to provide highest possible pre-kindergarten education. This program creates children with kindergarten readiness equal to the most privileged child.
There are several online mom groups who encourage the value of moms work loving and raising their children and create mom interest groups . Picture book reading and family charity to disadvantaged families are two topics of these groups. We salute www.themotherhood.com and www.extraordinarymommy.com.
This underscores the point that education starts in the home. Even parents who do not consider themselves to be qualified to be their child's first teacher can learn basic picture-book-reading techniques in time . Years of early reading experience before kindergarten make for reading and school readiness.
Dana Foundation researched Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts and the Brain (120 pages), an intersection of cognitive neuroscience, the arts and learning. http://bit.ly/4ovu3r (1.47MB HTML). This study supports early picture book reading and other arts exposure to develop essential neural pathways for lifelong learning skills. Mariale Hardiman, Janet Eilber, Susan Magsamery, Guy McKhann all looked into the effects of early arts education on aspects of cognition and learning.
The children without earlier lap reading time with parents, have been the study at least one Kindergarten remedial project. A kindly visiting adult reader can help establish some social skills and learning skills in children who have been acting out in frustration. The premise of this study was the children were acting out because they never had the nurture relating to positive learning "reading can be fun".
These children had felt left out of the fun that other children seemed to have with books, and assumed the school experience was hostile for them. This project did help smooth out the frustration. Though they may never catch up with the 50% of agemates with the earlier fun/reading start, they felt better about themselves. Someone was finally showing them what they were missing. This project is exceptionally enlightened and not the norm across the board.
This second window of remedial adult/child reading interaction is closed by age 8 years. If an at-risk child does not experience some kind of intervention by then, the child remains 2 years behind agemates throughout school and is 3 to 4 times more likely to drop out of high school before graduation. In the vernacular, they feel like "the cards are stacked against them".
The social fallout of the currently escalating drop out rate is increased crime, increased unemployment rates, increased population in prisons, increased public expenses, increased need for taxes, decreased national productivity and quality of life. For these reasons economists are saying the best investment anyone can make to strengthen our society is in early literacy, arts and health intervention in ages birth through age 5 years.
In one such program currently done in Minnesota, home visitors coach parents on effective early literacy techniques and health issues for the first 3 years. Then for parents who co-operated with that phase, funding is made available sufficient to provide highest possible pre-kindergarten education. This program creates children with kindergarten readiness equal to the most privileged child.
There are several online mom groups who encourage the value of moms work loving and raising their children and create mom interest groups . Picture book reading and family charity to disadvantaged families are two topics of these groups. We salute www.themotherhood.com and www.extraordinarymommy.com.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Parents: Believe in Your Toddler/Preschooler
When experts tell you your child has a developmental lag, keep believing that you and he can do anything together. Maybe he doesn't fit in some larger grouping and has to go to a special class for now, but the future is still wide open as long as you keep on reading and enjoying learning together.
The nurturing experience he has with you, one-on-one that includes picture books can establish neural pathways that become very significant in the long run. Lifelong learning skills are the point, and believing in him, seeing his open possibilities.
I say "his" because I'm thinking of 2 specific boys and their parents. One boy's mom who had always loved reading picture books with her toddler, was told he was too young to go into regular kindergarten, and again by his kindergarten teacher that he wasn't ready for first grade. Mom believed in him as being very bright , with great potential. She found a private school that had small class sizes, and individualized subject levels. They tested him and found a co-ordination lag that they felt would possibly disappear with normal growth. "Boys often have co-ordination lags at his age that effect reading readiness," they said. She was able to keep him at that school through first grade, where the teacher remarked on his advanced grasp of theoretic math, specifically negative numbers. He was able to progress in every subject at his natural rate. They gave him encouragement with reading skills in class, all positive, and mom continued enjoying reading picture books with him daily.
By second grade, mom could no longer afford the private school. She was concerned, hoping her son had received enough individualized support to blend with a regular class. He did very well, got A's in every subject. Mom only had to ask his public school second grade teacher not to yell so much at the children. Mom explained he had a very kind supportive teacher the year before and found her yelling distracting. She tried a more gentle approach, which benefited all the students, and he led his classmates even in reading.
That boy just graduated from college summa cum laude, with a strong literature curriculum, and advanced writing, in a generation that is generally considered to be lacking in literacy skills. Also, as a young father himself, he has always read to his son, always believed in him , who is doing well now in second grade.
The nurturing experience he has with you, one-on-one that includes picture books can establish neural pathways that become very significant in the long run. Lifelong learning skills are the point, and believing in him, seeing his open possibilities.
I say "his" because I'm thinking of 2 specific boys and their parents. One boy's mom who had always loved reading picture books with her toddler, was told he was too young to go into regular kindergarten, and again by his kindergarten teacher that he wasn't ready for first grade. Mom believed in him as being very bright , with great potential. She found a private school that had small class sizes, and individualized subject levels. They tested him and found a co-ordination lag that they felt would possibly disappear with normal growth. "Boys often have co-ordination lags at his age that effect reading readiness," they said. She was able to keep him at that school through first grade, where the teacher remarked on his advanced grasp of theoretic math, specifically negative numbers. He was able to progress in every subject at his natural rate. They gave him encouragement with reading skills in class, all positive, and mom continued enjoying reading picture books with him daily.
By second grade, mom could no longer afford the private school. She was concerned, hoping her son had received enough individualized support to blend with a regular class. He did very well, got A's in every subject. Mom only had to ask his public school second grade teacher not to yell so much at the children. Mom explained he had a very kind supportive teacher the year before and found her yelling distracting. She tried a more gentle approach, which benefited all the students, and he led his classmates even in reading.
That boy just graduated from college summa cum laude, with a strong literature curriculum, and advanced writing, in a generation that is generally considered to be lacking in literacy skills. Also, as a young father himself, he has always read to his son, always believed in him , who is doing well now in second grade.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Help Us Change At-risk Children's Future
Over 50% of America's children are at-risk to fail when entering kindergarten. The one thing they have in common is no books in their home suitable for children. No one reads to them at home.
This is tragic when coupled with the research findings on why high school dropouts are increasing each year (It is now conservatively estimated that 30% of high schoolers are dropping out before graduation.) The researchers traced the problems back to lack of shared family reading in the home before kindergarten. When children face school unprepared, they never catch up, staying 2 years behind agemates. They are 3 to 4 times more likely to dropout, feeling unsuccessful in the school process.
Literacy For Tykes has developed a method using step-by-step guidelines, empowering parents to use appropriate techniques to bring literacy to their early child. Our all-volunteer staff has given up royalty rights so we can offer these books and materials to benefit low-income at-risk children. Our non-profit educational and human service partners have identified at-risk children. They are happy to distribute our books and materials, and follow through encouraging parents to use appropriate techniques to read together with their children. Repeatedly they, report parent enthusiasm and measurable increases of time families are reading aloud together.
*************************************************************************************
Literacy For Tykes is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity. We depend on donations from sympathetic and generous people like you. Your donations allow us to pay publisher costs and shipping, and create materials, getting them to needy low-income families of at-risk children free of charge.
This is tragic when coupled with the research findings on why high school dropouts are increasing each year (It is now conservatively estimated that 30% of high schoolers are dropping out before graduation.) The researchers traced the problems back to lack of shared family reading in the home before kindergarten. When children face school unprepared, they never catch up, staying 2 years behind agemates. They are 3 to 4 times more likely to dropout, feeling unsuccessful in the school process.
Literacy For Tykes has developed a method using step-by-step guidelines, empowering parents to use appropriate techniques to bring literacy to their early child. Our all-volunteer staff has given up royalty rights so we can offer these books and materials to benefit low-income at-risk children. Our non-profit educational and human service partners have identified at-risk children. They are happy to distribute our books and materials, and follow through encouraging parents to use appropriate techniques to read together with their children. Repeatedly they, report parent enthusiasm and measurable increases of time families are reading aloud together.
*************************************************************************************
Literacy For Tykes is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity. We depend on donations from sympathetic and generous people like you. Your donations allow us to pay publisher costs and shipping, and create materials, getting them to needy low-income families of at-risk children free of charge.
Please take part in our Year-Ending Fundraiser
to reach at least 2010 at-risk children in 2010.
Use Link at right on this page "Literacy For Tykes Main Website"
to use easy PayPal Button there
for secure tax-deductible donations.
All size donations are welcomed.
As a special thank you to those donating over $10
we will send a full-color copy of
"Enjoy Picture Books With Children"
along with your official tax receipt.
to reach at least 2010 at-risk children in 2010.
Use Link at right on this page "Literacy For Tykes Main Website"
to use easy PayPal Button there
for secure tax-deductible donations.
All size donations are welcomed.
As a special thank you to those donating over $10
we will send a full-color copy of
"Enjoy Picture Books With Children"
along with your official tax receipt.
On behalf of our all-volunteer staff, partners, children and families we serve,
Thank you for all your help for the sake of giving these at-risk little ones a brighter future, and strengthening their families.
May you and yours have a blessed and prosperous New Year.
Nancy J. Cloyd
President of Literacy for Tykes
*************************************************************************************
May you and yours have a blessed and prosperous New Year.
Nancy J. Cloyd
President of Literacy for Tykes
*************************************************************************************
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Be an Angel - Include a Book
For those kind-hearted people who take a name from an Angel Tree, or otherwise give presents to poor and low-income children, please include an age-appropriate book. If you are given the child's age and they are under 5-years old give them a simply-worded picture book. Rhyming words are fun for this age. If they are elementary school age give them a picture book with a simply worded story line.
These are exactly the demographic who have no books in the home suitable for a child to read.
These are the ones who come to kindergarten at-risk-to-fail. Often they have never been read to in their home. They are probably 2 years behind their agemates in school, if they are already in elementary school.
Older elementary or middle school kids do well with an age-appropriate graphic novel or a comic book. Pictures are still important to this age. If you've got a teen, try a teen magazine to get their interest. Anything written about Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) or the Jonas Brothers should do it. In Style for girls and People magazines might be good choices to get them reading.
I'm sure you will also get them something warm to wear, if its cold where you are; and some kind of an amusement. My point is please include an age-appropriate book, graphic novel, comic book or magazine in your gift selections.
Also see tomorrow's blog for other free things you can do to help many little at-risk children in the next few weeks. Literacy for Tykes salutes your spirit of caring and giving!
These are exactly the demographic who have no books in the home suitable for a child to read.
These are the ones who come to kindergarten at-risk-to-fail. Often they have never been read to in their home. They are probably 2 years behind their agemates in school, if they are already in elementary school.
Older elementary or middle school kids do well with an age-appropriate graphic novel or a comic book. Pictures are still important to this age. If you've got a teen, try a teen magazine to get their interest. Anything written about Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) or the Jonas Brothers should do it. In Style for girls and People magazines might be good choices to get them reading.
I'm sure you will also get them something warm to wear, if its cold where you are; and some kind of an amusement. My point is please include an age-appropriate book, graphic novel, comic book or magazine in your gift selections.
Also see tomorrow's blog for other free things you can do to help many little at-risk children in the next few weeks. Literacy for Tykes salutes your spirit of caring and giving!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Fun Online Literacy Sites to Add to Daily Home Read
First and foremost Literacy For Tykes recommends reading with your child at home during a quiet time for 20 minutes each day. Beyond that regular reading together time that is so nurturing to your early child as a person and a future reader, there are a few thoughtful services that can be fun ways to promote your child's interest in literacy. These will probably be most effective for 4-year-olds, or a precocious three year old that wants to do everything fun.
This first one is especially fun if you like doing Santa-oriented activities with your child before Christmas. This site http://www.MyElfHelp.com is one you can go to and see if you want to interact with it. You will see Santa Notes that are new daily that you can read with your child, and you can become a member for a onetime fee of $9.95 to have full use of the site. This includes a Letter-to-Santa writing program that you can use with your little one. When you become a member, you can select from a list of 20 or so Children's Charities to receive a donation. Our Literacy For Tykes is one of those charities recognized by that site. You have fun reading and writing with your preschooler, or even elementary-school-age child, and other needy children benefit as well.
Another site that gives an added dimension to reading fun online is probably good for 4 yrs and up. It is www.StorylineOnline.net . Screen Actors Guild members such as James Earl Jones, Melissa Gilbert, Robert Guillaume, Caitlin Wachs, and Pamela Reed each read a specific children's book online. I would recommend listening to the story with your child and responding to the story to give your child cues as to meaning.
Your personal input and interaction with your child to help them understand, interpret, and enjoy these experiences are still the key to their benefit. Your enthusiasm is what your child looks for as whether or not this means anything to them.
Also I would again state that these online activities are only meant to compliment years of home reading with you. Your child needs a strong base of experience directly with you, exploring characteristics of picture books together for 20 minutes a day, before he or she will be ready to comprehend language and picture/print symbolism. You are their first interpreter . You are their most important person. They learn from you. In the online experience they learn with you.
This first one is especially fun if you like doing Santa-oriented activities with your child before Christmas. This site http://www.MyElfHelp.com is one you can go to and see if you want to interact with it. You will see Santa Notes that are new daily that you can read with your child, and you can become a member for a onetime fee of $9.95 to have full use of the site. This includes a Letter-to-Santa writing program that you can use with your little one. When you become a member, you can select from a list of 20 or so Children's Charities to receive a donation. Our Literacy For Tykes is one of those charities recognized by that site. You have fun reading and writing with your preschooler, or even elementary-school-age child, and other needy children benefit as well.
Another site that gives an added dimension to reading fun online is probably good for 4 yrs and up. It is www.StorylineOnline.net . Screen Actors Guild members such as James Earl Jones, Melissa Gilbert, Robert Guillaume, Caitlin Wachs, and Pamela Reed each read a specific children's book online. I would recommend listening to the story with your child and responding to the story to give your child cues as to meaning.
Your personal input and interaction with your child to help them understand, interpret, and enjoy these experiences are still the key to their benefit. Your enthusiasm is what your child looks for as whether or not this means anything to them.
Also I would again state that these online activities are only meant to compliment years of home reading with you. Your child needs a strong base of experience directly with you, exploring characteristics of picture books together for 20 minutes a day, before he or she will be ready to comprehend language and picture/print symbolism. You are their first interpreter . You are their most important person. They learn from you. In the online experience they learn with you.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Enjoy Picture Books with Children
When children enjoy book-sharing time with you, they develop life-ling learning capacity, good feelings about books and how to treat them. Here are some ways to get the most out of this together time:
- Focus on your child's attention span. At first, a few minutes of book time exploring a picture together builds interest that will grow.
- Children often develop a favorite page or picture. That indicates a growing interest in book fun. That's just what you want to see.
- Let your child set the pace. Early on your child may want to repeat a page, a section, or jump around skipping pages. Perhaps he or she will want to go to a different activity or conversation. Don't be too concerned about how long they remain interested, because you will see their interest increase as they are able.
- It's OK if your child thinks you are "reading the pictures". They are actively trying to make sense out of what you are showing them.
- Clear simple words are easier for a child to mimic and learn. They love to show you they can repeat a sound. They will mimic a sound before they get the meaning.
- Point at the features you are talking about and help your child touch the picture parts you are describing.
- Soon your child may point to the named parts of the picture, as you have earlier shown them to do.
- After many months of "picture reading", your child may notice the printed words. Then you may point to words as you read them, and then point to picture part you just said if child is not doing so.
- Remember your child is still more interested in the pictures and being with you. (Lap-reading or "next-to" reading allows for needed nurturing touch.)
- Let yourself enjoy the pictures and reading together. Then your child will feel that reading is a happy thing to do.
- Look for books that have the basic 8 crayon box colors. By reading daily, your child may learn those color names in time for kindergarten .
- Children come to understand that pictures are symbols for known objects. Also other pictures that show unfamiliar objects can expand your child's ideas and vocabulary.
- Quiet-time sharing books : Children get more out of the experience if you turn off the TV and other distracting sounds. That makes it easier for both of you to focus on your shared together time.
- Though you may start with only a few minutes as attention span allows, gradually increase your daily book time to 20 minutes.
- Before bedtime routine: start with a warm bath, to help your child relax; a favorite book to read together; a drink of water, and a kiss goodnight. This regular routine will help your child feel safe and more relaxed for a good night of sleep (10 hours recommended).
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