A Gift for a Lifetime

The Missouri Humanities Council (MHC) announces Read First! – an action-packed, month-long, community-based program that engages people in reading to young children. The program’s goal is to promote community-wide awareness and participation in discovering the joy of reading to children and appreciating the significance of storytelling in children’s lives.

“Family reading lays the foundation for a child’s future learning and promotes strong parent-child bonds.  It’s a gift that pays off for a lifetime”, says MHC executive director Michael Bouman.  MHC believes that by working to create a culture of family reading in the community, the number of children who are read to regularly by a caring adult will increase markedly.

Applications for participation have been mailed to libraries, civic groups, schools and child care organizations in communities throughout the state of Missouri.  Participating communities will have opportunities to host reading celebrations and workshops, storytelling events, and other creative activities designed to engage families in reading – all with the support of MHC.

Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and State of Missouri as well as through grants and donations, the Missouri Humanities Council’s mission is to enable families and communities throughout the state to broaden their appreciation of history, literature and the ideas that shape our democracy. 

To learn more about Read First! or the Missouri Humanities Council, contact Julie Douglas at 800.357.0909 or Julie@mohumanities.org.

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DETAILS: http://mohumanities.org/programs/readstart/readfirst.htm

Missouri Humanities Council
543 Hanley Industrial Ct., Ste. 201
St. Louis, MO 63144-1905
(314) 781-9660 (800) 357-0909