Exciting Literacy Project for District 6380

DG Henry Dotson and Linda Eastman (Rochester Rotary Club) are eager to implement a very exciting, dynamic, and worthwhile project called Pre-school U. Pre-School U is a community-outreach project designed to give parents and caregivers information, strategies and skills to support the development of children before they enter kindergarten. Through the use of video-based vignettes, Pre-School U offers parents and caregivers simple ways to promote early learning and literacy in children under the age of five.

 

This dynamic program, created and supported by Detroit Public Television (DPTV), focuses on the five Domains of School Readiness:

 

•Cognition and General Knowledge

•Language and Literacy Development

•Approaches to Learning

•Social and Emotional Development

•Physical Well-Being and Motor Development

 

The program would feature three 1½-2 hour meetings, including a light meal and childcare, for 12-15 parents of preschoolers. At each of the meetings, one or two of the Domains would be presented via brief videos, and then the group facilitator would initiate a discussion, sharing ideas and tips on how a parent (the child’s first teacher) can help his/her child become ready to start school. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION! Children who are not exposed to these early experiences start school behind their peers, and in many cases they never catch up.

 

The target population for Pre-School U would be parents with socio-economic challenges and/or limited resources. The steps are easy to follow: First, your club needs to form a literacy team to help make this a successful project. Participants do not have to make a huge, long-term commitment. You will need a Literacy Champion from your club to attend the training for facilitators on Saturday, October 31, 9-11 a.m. You will also need a committee to help with securing food for the three sessions, organizing child care for the children while the parents participate in the workshop, and getting the word out in the community, among other tasks.

 

If you care about the children in your community and share a vision for helping its littlest citizens get the help they need to succeed in school and in life, please consider the Pre-School U project for your club. This is a way you can make a difference! Thank you for all you do for Rotary. Please contact Linda Eastman by email: McGindy@aol.com if you have any questions or want to be a part of this literacy endeavor.

 

~ Submitted by Linda Eastman and reprinted from the D6380 October Newsletter