First Four Towns Finish "Read First!"
By Julie Douglas
Story times, new library cards, volunteer readers, and communities gathering together… these are just a few of the positive outcomes that are taking place as a result of MHC’s Read First! project. People throughout the towns of Mountain View, Tarkio, Cuba, and La Plata have begun to see what can happen when a whole community gets behind family reading. Parents are learning fresh, fun ideas for sharing books with their children.
Read First! is an initiative in which MHC works with multiple agencies in a community to raise public awareness about reading in families. The first step is a solid month of activities. During that month, we offer extra sessions of our READ from the START (RFTS) training program. The whole town sees that something is in the wind. There are "next steps" for those who conduct a month of programs. Those steps are designed locally, and we remain involved with a substantive evaluation program. Our dream is to help a few communities chart a course toward dramatic improvements in children's interest in reading. Our first four examples are recounted below.
Making Friends With a Book
Tarkio, a small town in northwest Missouri, took the first step in the Read First! initiative. Families gathered at the annual Friendship Day on August 21. The event included a Beautiful Baby contest (they were all beautiful!), free books for children under age 5, and a special booth where families could learn about the upcoming Read First! activities in Tarkio. The Tarkio Avalanche took an active role in promoting the READ from the START programs and proclaimed Read First! a “Huge Success” in the Oct 9 edition. Local businesses donated food for the suppers that were served at the RFTS programs. Other shops displayed Read First! posters in their windows to remind parents to read to their little ones. Adults, babies, and preschoolers decked out in bright yellow Read First! tee shirts could be seen all around town.
The Tarkio Public Library provided meeting space for the two RFTS programs and encouraged families to sign up to receive new library cards. The Tarkio branch proudly announced that they had the highest number of new library card applications in Atchinson County during Read First! Month. The library also provided new children’s books as door prizes at the Read First! Workshop on September 29. Participants were thrilled to choose a brand new book to take home to their children!
Kids were not the only ones to benefit from Read First! When committee members took Read First! posters to display in the local senior center, the seniors expressed an interest in having a lending library at the site. The library now provides a selection of books on a regular basis for the seniors. Even the local junior high students got in on the Read First! fun. An eighth grade class participated in a discussion of Goodnight Moon and talked about their own experiences with reading.
As a result of Read First! a new monthly "cookies and milk" story time has started at the Tarkio Library. The first one was an overwhelming success with over 30 children and parents attending. The children came clad in pajamas and carrying their blankets. Families were encouraged to check out a book after the story time or apply for a card if they did not already have one for their child.
According to committee members Betsy Chapin and Sally Wehmann, the READ from the START programs and the Read First! Workshop were very well attended and parents expressed appreciation for the books they received and the fun they had discussing children's books. Read First! energized the community and got people thinking about the importance of reading to young children. As a result of Read First! in Tarkio, MHC has had several inquiries from other communities in Northeast Missouri about how to host READ from the START in their towns.
Sending a Message to the Community
On the other end of the state, Mountain View kicked off their Read First! Month on September 20 at a family skating party at the Mountain View Youth Center. Children enjoyed hot dogs, roller skating, and face painting while their parents visited with author Sheila Foard (below).
Community involvement helped make Mountain View’s Read First! Month a success. Articles in the local newspaper announced the READ from the START programs and the Read First! Workshop that took place during September and October. During Read First! Month, Timber Creek Cinema displayed an ad on the big screen reminding parents to read to their children and Timber Creek employees sported Read First! tee shirts. Local stores placed Read First! posters in windows and the Pizza Inn contributed to the refreshments that were served at the RFTS programs. Childcare for the events was provided by the local Cadet Girl Scouts, who did a wonderful job entertaining the young children.
According to Read First! Committee leader Beth Gilbert, "the greatest success of Read First! was letting people know about the library and how easy it is to bring your children in to check out books. The community gained information about the importance of reading to children. The library staff was able to promote story time and show how proactive the library is in children’s literature. Read First! sent the message to the community that people care about children learning and want to promote reading to kids every day!"
The effect of Read First! was illustrated by a young couple who pulled into the library parking lot driving a rented U Haul on the night of the Read First! Workshop. When asked why they were driving a U Haul, the dad explained that they were in the process of moving that day, but they were taking a couple of hours out in the evening to attend the workshop because they wanted to learn all they could about reading to their infant son (and the new baby who is on the way). As the workshop began, the young dad proudly introduced his family as a " Read First! Family."
Exploring Stories
Cuba’s Mayor Kenny Killeen proclaimed Oct. 27 through Nov. 21 "Read First! Cuba." The Read First! committee and students at Cuba High School put on a fantastic family fun night on October 27 to introduce Read First! month in Cuba. Young children and their parents were treated to special stories in four classrooms.
After listening, the children participated in activities such as drawing with chalk, talking about their luckiest day, making a "boa" scarf, and petting real farm animals. The enthusiasm of the "big kids" really made this an exciting evening for the little ones. Free books were given to each child who came, and hot dogs and chips were served. Parents learned about the READ from the START programs that would be held in November in Cuba. In addition to the programs provided by MHC, the Cuba Read First! committee has recruited a number of "community readers" to visit local preschools and day care centers to read to children during the month (and beyond!). Committee member Laura Heyer said that many of the parents expressed a desire to see this family reading night become a regular event in Cuba. Stay tuned for more about Read First! in Cuba.
On the Right Track
Read First! Month in La Plata in NE Missouri is chug-chug-chugging along during November. People of all ages came out for "Clickety Clack on the Community Reading Track" event at Silver Rails Conference Center. Visitors could choose from a wide variety of train-themed activities such as story areas (with books like The Polar Express and The Little Engine That Could), crafts, old time country pickin’, and a storyteller. Food, prizes, and interesting displays about both trains and reading made this a fun evening for all ages!
READ from the START and the Read First! Workshop will take place in November, but the committee already sees the positive impact of Read First! in La Plata. According to Glenna Noel, "The grant has had a definite effect on our community. We had all ages at our event from babies to several people 70-80 years old. Several of the teenagers in the community came and helped the young children with activities. We had several families in our community that came that we don't usually see at things like this and definitely not the whole family together. Several families in the community and some of the committee members were so excited that they wanted to go ahead and have another one next year."
Read First! will continue in 2009 in the following communities:
Butler County – February
Marion County- February
Washington- March
Savannah – April
Moberly- April
Macon- April
For a list of Read First! events, visit the calendar at www.readfromthestart.org.
