READ from the START
READ from the START is the Missouri Humanities Council’s initiative to help parents understand the importance and experience the joy of reading and telling stories to their children. READ from the START is highly acclaimed across Missouri by both parents and host organizations, including: alternative high schools, child abuse prevention programs, Head Starts, libraries, Parents as Teachers, teen parent programs, women’s shelters, county health departments and others.
Workshops
This lively and interactive two-session workshop is for parents of young children. Conducted on site at organizations that serve families of young children, READ from the START workshops are engaging, hands-on programs for parents and care givers of young children, with a special emphasis on outreach to at-risk families. At a READ from the START workshop, participants discover how interaction with books and stories stimulates the child’s development and strengthens the bond between parent and child. Praised by organizations across the state, these energetic workshops are conducted by MHC at the host organization site free of charge.
Read First!
Read First! is an action-packed project designed to engage whole communities in reading to young children. Entire towns discover the joy of reading to children and cultivate an appreciation of storytelling in children’s lives.
In 2008, ten communities were selected to participate in Read First! Each developed an array of activities to encourage parents and care givers to read to their youngsters, and to get books into the homes of babies and preschool children. Now in their second year of the project, Read First! communities include: Butler County, Cuba, LaPlata, Macon, Marion County, Moberly, Mountain View, Savannah, Tarkio and Washington.
mail@mohumanities.org