About

Research shows that 50% of parents are leaving out a vital nutrient for their young child's mind...reading.  The goal of Every Child Ready To Read @ Dallas is to help parents of young children improve the chances for their children's success in reading and learning in school.

Children

It is important to note that a child's first three years have a lifelong impact on mental development, and a child's early experience with language contributes to healthy brain development.

The children’s age levels covered in this early literacy program are:

• Early Talkers (birth to age 2)
• Talkers (ages 2 and 3)
• Pre-Readers (ages 4 and 5)

Parents and Caregivers

Parents are their children’s first teachers.  Caregivers also assist in children’s early literacy.  Through Every Child Ready To Read @ Dallas parents and caregivers can attend any of the three age-level workshops where they will learn about the 6 pre-reading skills and art forms that reinforce these reading skills in children.

If you would like to attend a Parent and Caregiver Workshop, please view the workshop schedule and submit a request form.  If you have questions, please call 214-670-1708 for more information.

Facilitators

Facilitators will be available at many different workshop locations around Dallas to provide Every Child Ready To Read @ Dallas workshops for parents and caregivers. At these workshops, facilitators will review the 6 pre-reading skills and art forms that support reading. We are looking for facilitators that are bilingual (English-Spanish) at the present time. If you are bilingual and would like to be a facilitator, please contact Denise Lyons by email denise.lyons@dallaslibrary.org or by phone 214-671-8060.

Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to assist us at the various workshops. This volunteer opportunity will allow for working with children doing crafts and stories while the parents attend workshops. We will be hosting a training session for these volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering for Every Child Ready to Read @ Dallas, please contact Tim Moody, Volunteer Coordinator at the Dallas Public Library, by email at tim.moody@dallaslibrary.org or by telephone at 214-671-8374.

If you have questions, please contact:

Dallas Public Library
1515 Young Street
Dallas, TX 75201
Voice: (214) 670-1708 
Fax: (214) 670-7839
outreach@dallaslibrary.org

6 Pre-Reading Skills

• Narrative skills: Being able to describe things and events and tell stories.
    (Art form emphasis - storytelling)
• Print motivation: Being interested in and enjoying books.
    (Art form emphasis - bookmaking and related crafts)
• Vocabulary: Knowing the names of things.
    (Art form emphasis: theater and drama)
• Phonological awareness: Being able to hear and play with smaller sounds in words.
    (Art form emphasis: music and poetry)
• Letter knowledge: Knowing letters are different from each other, knowing their names and sounds, and recognizing letters everywhere.
    (Art form emphasis- shapes and spatial relations)
• Print awareness: Noticing print, knowing how to handle a book and knowing how to follow the words on a page.
    (Art form emphasis - drawing)

Crafts

• [coming soon]

Workshop Schedules

• March - Sept, 2008