Education
Women’s Initiative Early Childhood Literacy Program
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| The facts: |
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90 percent of brain development occurs in the first three years in life |
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The typical child in poverty hears 30 million fewer words than a child born to a middle or high income family |
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Children not reading well by the end of first grade have 90% chance of remaining poor readers |
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Every $1 invested in early childhood education saves $17 in costs incurred as they falter later in life |
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| Get involved: |
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| For more information: |
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Contact Lynda Parham at at 313-226-9297. |
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What is the Women’s Initiative Early Literacy Program?
The Women’s Initiative is a leadership giving program that engages female philanthropists in Southeast Michigan. It began in 2004 with a mission to improve the lives of women, children and families across southeast Michigan. The members decided to harness their collective philanthropic resources to increase literacy rates for children in the region.
The Early Literacy Program works with local nonprofit organizations to provide home-based literacy programming for children aged 0-5. Its goal is to overcome developmental delays and prepare at-risk children to enter Kindergarten ready to succeed.
Why it’s important
Experts agree that the majority of learning and brain development occurs before children enter school, and research shows that reading skills provide the foundation for all school-based learning. Of the children who have difficulty reading at grade level by third grade, 10-15 percent will eventually drop out of school and only two percent will complete a four-year college program.
Results*
Over 300 families have received literacy training in their homes. Among them:
- More than 91 percent of parents now recognize that reading to their child regularly is vital to success in school
- 56 percent of preschoolers have shown improvement in recognizing letters
- 77 percent have shown substantial improvement in their language understanding and awareness
- 33 percent more preschool-age children are showing more interest in reading and having their parents read to them
- The rate of developmental delays (social and emotional) decreased from 13.5 percent to 4.3 percent
One year after the program, the children are better prepared for Kindergarten, and the parents involved have increased their knowledge about the importance of early literacy.
Partners
- Catholic Social Services of Oakland County
- Leaps and Bounds Family Services
- Neighborhood Service Organization
- The Guidance Center
- Trinity Health Organization
*Source: Ty Partridge, Ph.D., Wayne State University
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