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tors have been left with some positive results now that a literacy program for preschoolers has wrapped up its first year in three area schools.
The 3-month program, started by the Assistance League of Southern Utah, is geared to help students in Title I preschools meet state academic standards, one book at a time. Since January, League members have been reading books on a one-to-one basis with 30 preschoolers at Heritage Elementary, 39 students at Washington Elementary and 48 students at Red Mountain Elementary.
League members let teachers choose what kind of books they would read to students, who were later given the books to keep. The funding for the program was done through grants and fundraising, according to Jackie Brown, vice president of marketing communications for Southern Utah chapter. She said the organization decided to focus on preschoolers in Title I schools because many of the students came from a lower socioeconomic background.
According to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 64 percent of families whose incomes were at or above the poverty level read to their preschoolers on a daily basis compared to 48 percent of families below the poverty level.
“We just thought it would be such an important area working with the Title I schools to give these children a hand up,” Brown said. “Hopefully by bringing these books home, the parents would participate by reading to the children because the kids are really excited about being read to.”
League volunteers took up to three trips to each of the schools to read to students from books that ranged from Dragons Love Tacos to Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.
Sara Boatright, Red Mountain Elementary preschool teacher, said when choosing books for her students she wanted to find literature that both the students and their parents could enjoy.
“I like books that are interactive where the kids and the parents can laugh together and have fun together,” Boatright said. “There’s lots of good books but we just thought if we get three books to choose from we want to make them laugh.”
Red Mountain Elementary Principal Amy Mitchell added that as educators they want to make sure students are reading by the third grade. She said programs like this are a way to help students reach those literacy goals starting at an early age.
“The sooner we can get them excited about reading, the better,” Mitchell said. “And it’s never too early to start.”
Teachers at Heritage Elementary made sure volunteers read books that were geared toward students who were struggling with their literacy skills, according to Heritage Elementary Title I Coordinator Paul Orchard.
Orchard said the program was not only a way to work with students of various reading levels but give them exposure to different kinds of books, and not just those on a screen.
“A lot of times when kids are on tablets or computers they don’t really get to sit down with a book,” Orchard said. “It allows them to also want to participate in the reading process either with someone or to take it and look at it after they’ve read it.”
Brown said the league is planning to continue the program and add more preschools out of the district’s total 13 Title I schools.
“The kids love it,” said Tonya Smith, a preschool aid teacher at Washington Elementary. “It gives them an opportunity to see not only myself but others read to them and hopefully form a love of reading … it’s been a great thing.”
