May 30, 2023 5:30p
(WGTD)---A committee that’s been formed in Racine County to improve early childhood literacy is reminding itself that the key to success is multi-faceted, and includes some simple things parents can do.
The strategy for young parents may begin with simply talking to your newborn, says Janell Decker, Deputy Chief Academic Officer for Racine Unified. “A lot of times that isn’t what people think of when they think of literacy in the early years,” Decker says.
Decker and three other committee members spoke on a recent edition of Education Matters.
The committee’s two-dozen members were appointed by Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave, who last year in his budget address called for the creation of the panel.
Delagrave—and others—believe that reading proficiency is the key to a child’s success in school, and in the workplace, for that matter.
The committee is expected to make recommendations by the end of the year.
The committee holds the belief that all parents want to see their children succeed, but that some lack the tools and wherewithal to make it happen. “Just because they feel they may be overwhelmed or not equipped and unsure of what to do to develop that literacy doesn’t mean the desire isn’t there,” said Jacqueline Witter-Easley. While she’s not on the committee, Witter Easley, a Carthage education professor, co-hosted the program along with her Carthage colleague, Karin Sconzert.
The committee has discussed creating pop-up training centers, and supporting existing literacy initiatives. Among those projects cited was the Imagination Library, a Dolly Parton foundation-funded initiative that pays for books to be sent to the homes of children on a monthly basis until they reach school-age.
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