United Way of Rock River Valley Launches Tiny Turners Reading Program
By: Vi Nguyen
Updated: October 24, 2012
The Tiny Turners Reading Program focuses on pre-development skills for pre-kindergarten students and it's all in hopes to prepare them for a brighter future.
Ameliah, 2, is not your average little girl. Her mother Tamara McMillian says, she can already do a lot for her age.
"She can tell me her address. She speaks. Her vocabulary is outstanding for a two year old," said McMillian.
Mcmillian and her daughter are just one of more than 600 children and families participating in the Tiny Turners reading program.
The program encourages parents to read to their children in order to develop literacy skills-- especially to those under the age of 3.
"When you're reading to your child and giving them that personal attention and touching them and holding them. You're showing that reading is important to you and sharing that caring is a component with the siting and sharing," said Assistant Principal of Rockford Public Schools Early Childhood Programs Jenny Karlson.
A new study finds that children of professional parents by the age of 4 have already heard on average 48 million words, but children in low income families have onlyheard on average 13 million words-- that's a gap of 35million.
Which is why the President of United Way of Rock Rive Valley wants to change that.
"This is the one that really concentrates on learning and that parental enagement in a child's learning. I think this is incredibly important and this just dubtails into the programs that we already have for older children, page turner and I-read program," said Paul Logli.
A total of 6 books will be distributed this year. The first book "Babies" will be distributed at the end of this month.
