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.

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 10 th 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 ) 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 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 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 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.