Literacy Initiatives
Here at ELCFV, we are always looking for ways to promote emergent literacy skills in Flagler and Volusia Counties.
Sharing books with children as early as possible is imperative to their future success. Reading with your child is one of the best ways to stimulate brain development and build motivation for reading along with a sense of curiosity and memory. Studies have shown children with access to high-quality books and early education programs enter kindergarten better prepared to succeed.
There are several ways we assist providers in fostering emergent literacy skills.
Summer Literacy Olympics
Monday, July 29th – August 2nd
Participate in this fun week to introduce your kiddos to what the summer Olympics are all about. ELCFV will provide a book to kick-off your week with!
(*for contracted School Readiness Providers)
Suggested Activities:
Adapt to meet the needs of your school, using your school’s resources! Visit your local library for books to introduce the city of Paris!
Mr. Roger’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Day
Happy Birthday, Mr. Rogers! Wednesday, March 20th was “Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day?”
Our providers helped honor Fred Rogers’ legacy and spread joy, beauty and kindness in their neighborhoods by decorating doors, windows, sidewalks, and playgrounds. Providers then sent us photos of how their classroom celebrated this special day. We shared them to our Facebook page, where we encouraged the community to vote for their favorite. The winning child care provider received a Daniel Tiger Neighborhood Scavenger Kit for each family in their school! All participating schools received books to grow their classroom libraries or family lending library.
Other ways to celebrate Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day:
Think of ways you can be helpful in your neighborhood. Here are some suggestions (be sure to give your families the opportunity to help you on these efforts!):
- Send thank you notes or cards decorated by your kiddos to your community helpers
- Collect old towels or dog/cat food to donate to local animal shelter
- Host a bake sale/lemonade stand/garage sale and donate proceeds to a local charity
- Host a food or book drive and donate to local charity
Read Across America Day
ELCFV celebrated Read Across America Day on Friday, March 1st with a shared reading event to help promote the importance of literacy and reading aloud with children.
Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!
Each year, the Just Read, Florida! Office and the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), in partnership with other FDOE offices, the Office of Early Learning (OEL), school districts, early learning coalitions and numerous other state agencies, announce the annual statewide Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!
Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida (January 22-26, 2024) is designed to raise awareness about the importance of reading and to inspire Florida’s children and families to make reading part of their daily routines. Providers across the state will read the same book at the same time to spread the love of literacy and stimulate language and cognitive skills.
This year our theme was Believe in Your “Shelf”- Building Resiliency Through Reading! Providers in our two counties participated by reading The Little Butterfly That Could by Ross Burach.
We invited leaders in our community to come out and help promote literacy and join the fun by signing up to be a guest Leader Reader. They brought their favorite childhood story to share with the children in your community with one of our child care providers.
World Read Aloud Day
LitWorld founded World Read Aloud Day® (WRAD) in 2010 to celebrate the power of reading aloud in creating community and amplifying new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.
Why do we celebrate?
- Reading aloud at home and at school is one of the best ways to help children develop literacy skills.
- Reading aloud helps us share stories.
- Reading aloud helps us build community.
Find out more on how to celebrate in the
World Read Aloud Day Activity Hub!
Read for the Record
A campaign to foster language and social-emotional development. Each year, Jumpstart selects a book that will be read across the country and around the world by adults and children on Read for the Record day. Books are available in both English and Spanish and come with activity guides and resources to help your center or child care expand on the story.
When the next Read for the Record happens, we will send out an email to those centers and child cares we contract with so they can sign up to participate. From there, we take care of ordering the book and even coordinate providing a volunteer to read to your classroom if you so choose.
