Teen Parent Reading Project
 Jessica McSweeney and Allison Harvey read Joshua Harvey to sleep. |
| Photo: Mary Claire Carroll |
Using children's literature, specially trained humanities scholars - college professors, writers, school teachers, librarians - make books come alive by encouraging parents to relate what they read to their own lives and teach book-related activities that parents can do at home with their children. In each session parents receive children's books to begin or enhance their own libraries, learn the importance of reading with their children, and gain confidence in their own reading ability.
The Council began offering these sessions at central locations, but early feedback indicated that the rural isolation of numerous young parents and the unpredictability of their lives made it difficult for many to attend group sessions. Therefore, the Council developed specialized training for public health and social service providers to help them incorporate the reading discussions and activities with parents into their comprehensive, individual home visiting services. In this way, the providers can integrate the parent learning activities and the delivery of several excellent books with their ongoing work. Long-time advocates for children and families, these providers are now passionate advocates for the importance of reading with children and talking about ideas in books.
| Teen
Parent Reading Project Vermont Council on the Humanities 200 Park Street Morrisville, VT 05661 Phone: 802-888-3183 Fax: 802-888-1236 E-Mail: info@vermonthumanities.org URL: www.vermonthumanities.org Focus: Children's Literature Number Participating: 960 teens; 1,500 children Ages: 13-19; 5 weeks-6 years Annual Budget: $25,110 "Renee, mother of two preschoolers, proudly told me that she now has a library card and uses the library regularly. Her children's attention span for stories has increased a thousand fold." Richard Hill Service Provider |