Program Turns Parents Into Literacy Champions
Twenty-two parents at the West County First 5 Center are on their way to becoming certified “ Tandem® Literacy Champions.”
Tandem Partners in Early Learning®, the organization we fund to provide StoryCycles book-sharing programs throughout the County, trains parents so they can, in turn, help other parents in the community learn how to build their children’s early literacy and language skills.
The first step to becoming a Literacy Champion is for parents to attend four training sessions on early literacy and family engagement. Of the parents and caregivers participating at the West County First 5 Center, one was a father, three were grandparents, and most were bilingual in English and Spanish.
Hollywood Tackles the “Word Gap”
“If money wasn’t an object and you could fund any major intervention for children, what would it be?”
That was the question posed to Dr. Bruce Perry, the nation’s expert on early childhood development and trauma, when we hosted him for a seminar earlier this year.
Dr. Perry said he would focus on a wide public education effort to help the general public better understand core concepts of early childhood brain development. To do that, he suggested integrating these concepts into television programs. So as you’re watching your favorite comedy, for example, you may also get a dose of important early childhood concepts or learn about how critical brain development is during a child’s first three years. Continue reading