LSU AgCenter 4-H agent Ophelia Allen presents information during her part of the “Reading Treasures: Children’s Books to Read Before You Grow Up” session at the National Family Literacy conference held in San Diego on March 23-27. Allen, along with Rapides Parish fourth-grade teacher Laketa Weston, conducts the Reading to the Heart literacy program in Alexandria. (Photo by Johnny Morgan. Click on photo for downloadable image.)

Developing an appreciation for reading in young children is the goal of a literacy team at the LSU AgCenter.

The team presented Reading to the Heart, a youth and family literacy session to an overflow crowd at the National Conference on Family Literacy held recently in San Diego.

The session, Reading Treasures: Children’s Books to Read Before You Grow Up, focused on one of the most important predictors of school success for elementary school students--access to books in the home.

Because research shows that parents are the first and most important teachers, the team challenged workshop participants to expand outreach to parents, said LSU AgCenter 4-H youth development specialist and project director Juanita Johnson.

“Many parents need more information, resources, and strategies for helping their children beyond the classroom,” said Johnson. “When schools urge children to practice reading at home, there is a greater impact on reading achievement than when students only practice at school.”

Having access to as few as 20 books in the home can significantly boost children’s achievement and chances of remaining in school as they grow up, Johnson said.

The presentation provided workshop participants from across the nation an opportunity to join the effort to develop sustainable plans for improving children’s access to books in their community.

Ninety conference participants signed up to join this network of educators, parents and education experts to provide access to model programs, media products and opportunities to collaborate and provide leadership in the development of family book club reading interventions.

To help facilitate program development, participants received access to a Family Book Club Toolkit that includes a sample home-based reading literacy curriculum, sample parent newsletters and educational strategies for use in the home, Johnson said.

The Louisiana team members included LSU AgCenter extension agents Ophelia Allen, of Grant Parish, and Karol Osborne, of Madison Parish, Rapides Parish fourth grade teacher Laketa Weston and Madison Parish elementary school supervisor Gloria Henderson. Other AgCenter participants were program evaluator Satish Verma, marketing and promotions coordinator Johnny Morgan and Johnson.

The goal of Reading to the Heart, a statewide initiative of the LSU AgCenter, is to motivate elementary school children to read for fun and enjoy reading, Johnson said.

This program provides materials to help parents promote literacy behaviors in the home as well as at school, she said. It is funded in part through a United States Department of Agriculture grant and is in its fifth year of implementation.

For additional information on how you can become involved in this literacy enhancement effort, contact Johnson at 225-578-2196.

Johnny Morgan