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August President's Message
8/24/2011
By David Wilson, PA-C
President’s Project: Early Childhood Literacy
The Importance of Early Childhood Literacy
If you have a child who is an avid reader, they more than likely will do very well in school. The opposite of this is also true. A child with limited experiences with books may very well do poorly in school. The building blocks of literacy develop in infancy and early childhood. Daily reading activities expose babies and toddlers to sounds, words, speech, and printed words. Research has found strong evidence that children can learn reading and writing at a young age, long before they go off to school. It is important to ensure that ALL children enter school ready to read. Learning to read and write is critical for success in school and throughout life.
Family members, caregivers and us as clinicians can help build a foundation for literacy by encouraging families to talk and read daily to babies and toddlers. Long before a baby babbles or says a first word, they are beginning to develop skills necessary to learn how to speak and read.
Literacy development and school achievement have a direct relationship. In most cases, children learn to read and write in kindergarten and first grade. They continue to hone those skills until grade four. After the fourth grade, a child’s relationship with reading changes and instead of learning to read, the child will use reading to learn.
My President’s Project
This year I am focusing my President’s Project on early childhood literacy. This has become a topic that I feel strongly about. As adults we need to do all we can to encourage children to read. For the past two years I have volunteered at a July 4
th
literacy tent giving books away to children. I enjoy seeing the smiles on the children’s faces as they run from the tent showing off the new book they have just received.
As physician assistants, we can encourage our patients to read to their own children and make books a priority in their child’s life. We can also give our time and resources to help those who may not have the ability to provide books for their children.
My goal this year is for WAPA to help raise books and money to benefit
Next Door Foundation’s Books for Kids
program
.
Next Door Foundation is a nonprofit organization in Milwaukee that began in 1969 and promotes education and life skills to help Milwaukee’s inner city children and families succeed in education and life. Their
Books for Kids
program has successfully given away over a million books since the program began. These books are provided through donations from organizations like WAPA and help to provide the foundation for early reading skills in children who may otherwise not have the opportunity to ever read well.
Read more at
http://www.nextdoormil.org/OurPrograms/BooksforKids.nws
How Do We Help the Next Door Foundation?
Many of you may have books at home that you have read to your children and family that are sitting on your shelves just waiting to be read again. My challenge to the members of WAPA is to help Next Door through donations of those books so others may have the chance to read and enjoy the stories that have been shared with your families. At both the fall and spring WAPA conferences, there will be a collection bin for you to put any children’s books you may wish to donate. I encourage you to help this organization as they promote early childhood literacy through a generous donation. If you do not have books to donate you may still help out through a monetary donation to Next Door.
How Can We Help in Our Own Communities?
While it is clear that a well-established program like the Next Door Foundation continues to need the help of organizations like WAPA as they promote early childhood literacy, it is also important for us to do the same in our own communities. Each year on March 2, in conjunction with Dr. Suess’s birthday, the National Education Association promotes
Read Across America
. This is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child to celebrate reading. This year I want to encourage as many PAs from Wisconsin as possible to participate in the event. I will be working with the WAPA Public Relations Committee to make a package of books and bookmarks with the goal of taking these items into the schools, daycares, early childhood programs and sharing the gift of reading with children. The books may then be left behind for the kids to enjoy again and again.
President’s Project Table at the Fall and Spring Conference
Reading is an important skill that needs to start early in a child’s life to ensure success as a learner. As teachers will tell you, children need to learn to read in order to read to learn. Look for more information on how you can help promote childhood literacy in your own communities at the WAPA conference exhibition hall this fall and spring. Remember to come with books in hand for donation to the Next Door Foundation.
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