Released August 12, 2008
BATON ROUGE, La. – A U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored youth literacy program is being presented in three Louisiana parishes by the LSU AgCenter and the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
The program, Reading to the Heart, is designed to increase children's literacy skills and to foster a love of reading by encouraging children to have fun while improving their reading skills and by providing parents with tips on how to support their children's reading habits, officials said.
Funded through the USDA’s Sustainable Community Projects, the program also incorporates professional development for staff members and community partners on research-based reading strategies, according to Juanita Johnson, a professor in the LSU AgCenter’s Department of 4-H Youth Development.
The target populations for the five-year program are kindergarten through eighth-grade youth in Madison, St. Helena and Rapides parishes, Johnson said.
When parents enroll children in the program, each child receives a reading log, bookmark, books and other reading materials, she said. The children are challenged to read 20 minutes a day, five days a week and to keep a reading journal that is submitted monthly. Certificates are awarded to children who complete the challenge.
“Our program provides training in the most effective literacy practices and distributes high-quality books and materials for creating literacy-rich home environments,” Johnson said. “Providing training, coordination, supplies, supervision and support is helping parents, teachers and community supporters bring the Reading to the Heart program to highly distressed communities daily.”
Now in its second year, the program will include a technology component that provides hands-on technology use through LeapFrog educational products and computer labs in each of the communities involved in the program.
Johnson stresses the literacy program, conducted during after-school hours, creates a safe haven for youth and builds family togetherness and community unity around an important youth issue.
The key, she says, is to develop a reading program that is both motivating and accessible to all.
“No child has to incur any cost to participate in this program,” Johnson said. “Moreover, children may register at their schools or at the local LSU AgCenter office.”
During the first year, the program produced six family literacy events, distributed more than 1,000 books, held a Literacy Council Institute and conducted four professional development events for more than 30 parents, literacy partners, teachers and program staff members.
“When we motivate children to spend more time reading and writing, we are providing direct support to school achievement and future success in the workplace,” Johnson said. “Encouraging a love of reading fosters an understanding of other people and knowledge about the world around us.”
Since 1991, the USDA Sustainable Community Program has supported children and families in more than 600 communities in all states and territories, and the LSU AgCenter and SU Agricultural Center are proud to be apart of this prestigious program, officials said.
Johnson said she also is excited about incorporating Read Naturally into the program this fall.
“The Read Naturally fluency curriculum brings another dimension to what we are tying to achieve, and I think it will make success within the reach of the children in our program,” Johnson said.
She said a facilitator from the Read Naturally organization presented a one-day seminar to the staff this summer, allowing them to see how the program works and to have their questions answered.
The Read Naturally program allows the students to get hands-on experience with computers as well as monitor their progress, Johnson said.
The day-to-day operation of the Reading to the Heart program is managed by LSU AgCenter staff members Berteal Rogers and Karol Osborne in Madison Parish and Ophelia Allen in Rapides Parish and by Angela Myles with the Southern University Agricultural Center in St. Helena Parish.
Additional information about the Reading to the Heart program is available from Johnson at (225) 578-2196 or by e-mail at jjohnson@agcenter.lsu.edu.
--30--
Contacts: Juanita Johnson, (225) 578-2196, jjohnson@agcenter.lsu.edu
Johnny Morgan, (225) 578-8484, jmorgan@agcenter.lsu.edu
