Family Literacy starts with "Books for Families"

Literacy for Tykes is launching its second year of early child literacy partnership with Piedmont Healthy Families and Infant & Toddler Connection /Heartland. We even found a way to include a pilot program with a local "Headstart". All this has been greatly helped by two consecutive years of grants from TARGET.

We found from our Results Reports that many parents here in the USA are reluctant readers who were not read to as children. These parents need and benefit from specific help to learn how to read to their 1-5 year old children. Specific step-by-step guidelines can teach basic techniques of sharing picture points with their children. This fun with pictures is the basic building block of literacy called "Visual Literacy".

Reluctant parents thought they could not read with their child and became willing to try the Literacy for Tykes program for the sake of their child. They followed the step-by-step guidelines in Teddy Bear's Favorite Pictures called "Parents Points". These parents said they were surprised to see that their children enjoyed reading with them. Parents felt equipped at this starting level to continue this as a valuable parent/child activity on a regular basis.

Teenage parents gained confidence to read and have fun with books sometimes for the first time in their own lives. Starting at the Visual Literacy level, basic concepts are learn-able. Even parents of children with special needs like Autism, Down Syndrome, Hearing and Sight Loss said they learned techniques to share picture books and these guidelines allowed their children to be more interactive. They had more fun together!!

Literacy for Tykes encourages parents, with parent tip sheets called "Enjoy Books with Children", to read with their child in ever increasing time segments, as the child's interest naturally increases. When they are enjoying the time with their parents, the children want to increase both frequency and their attention per session stays longer. Gradually we hope the parents to read 20 minutes a day with their child. We have seen families well on their way to that goal in as little as four months with these books.

Children feel the fun. If I may quote Piglet from Winnie the Pooh " How do you spell love? and Pooh answered"You don't spell it . You feel it." The children feel the love through the time spent together with their parents. Love and reading become intermixed and both parents and children open up to the world of books. "Create a joyful experience, regardless of the age of your child."- kidsbestlife.

The purpose of education is to equip and encourage especially those marginalized citizens to build a better life. For the sake of their children, many parents are re-starting their own troubled literacy journey and find the fun of reading books through their child's loving eyes.
These previously at-risk children are given the best possible reading encouragement in the loving atmosphere of their homes. This is the best start a young pre-schooler can have to develop confidence, positive learning skills and attitude to build a better life.

If you would like to find out more about our "Books for Families" Phase 2 project, follow the link at the right of this page to www.LiteracyForTykes.com (Home Website). Thanks again to TARGET for their continued generous support. Perhaps you too can help more preschoolers' families experience this positive fresh start with books and learning together.

"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person"- Mother Teresa.