Getting ready for the first day of kindergarten shouldn’t be just about shopping for school supplies; it should be a process of talking to and reading to children regularly from birth. In fact, no other activity is as highly associated with school preparedness or eventual academic success as literacy, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Dr. Shurita Thomas-Tate, assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders at Missouri State University, is helping Springfield’s NAACP chapter implement NAACP Reads, a national program, in the region to increase the number of students who are ready to learn in kindergarten with a particular focus on children from low-income families and minority families.
“We are joining ranks because we recognized the needs amongst the students in our region to be prepared for school,” said Thomas-Tate. “We often think of schooling starting at school age when kids start school, but there’s a whole lot that can happen prior to them entering school.”
Since the program is in its infancy locally, NAACP Reads is partnering with local organizations with shared interests to connect to families, spread awareness, share resources and develop programming, including:
- Springfield Public Schools Parents as Teachers
- Every Child Promise
- Springfield-Greene County Library District
- UNITE Publications
- Department of communication sciences and disorders at Missouri State University
Thomas-Tate, who specializes in language and literacy development with minority populations, enlisted the assistance of her students to conduct research on programming that is working throughout the country, evaluate that programming and distribute those resources locally.
NAACP Reads will be at Henderson Unit Boys and Girls Club, 835 W. Calhoun, on March 24. They will be distributing free books.
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