The Read to Me Project Honors Jeanne Herrick for Championing Early
Literacy as Part of its “Share the Magic Between the Pages” Holiday
Giving Campaign Event
Monterey, CA, November 26, 2014 - The
Read to Me Project
will be honoring Jeanne Herrick, Assistant Superintendent of Alisal
Union School District, for her early literacy leadership and support for
programs designed to increase the number of children who begin
kindergarten prepared to succeed. The award will be presented on
Thursday, December 4, 2014 at the Hampton Inn & Suites Salinas as
part of the Read to Me Project’s "Share the Magic Between the Pages"
2014 Holiday Giving Campaign.
"The
Read to Me Project
is very proud to present Assistant Superintendent Herrick with the
First Annual Children’s Literacy Leadership Award for her commitment to
promoting early literacy experiences for infants, toddlers and
preschoolers who live in the Alisal community,” said Barbara Greenway,
Founder of the
Read to Me Project.
“Jeanne clearly understands the educational importance of family
members reading to children daily to prepare them for kindergarten and
school success.”
The Read to Me Project’s “Share the
Magic Between the Pages” 2014 Holiday Giving Campaign Kick Off event
will take place on Thursday, December 4, 2014 from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
at the new Hampton Inn and Suites, 523 Work Street in Salinas. The
Children’s Literacy Leader Award will be presented at 5:30 p.m. Through
its Holiday Giving Campaign, the Read to Me Project is inviting everyone
in the community, including local companies, parents and teachers, to
donate and support this cost-effective, high-impact program. The event
and holiday campaign is sponsored by Hampton Inn and Suites, KSMS TV
Univision 67, KSES Jose 107.1 FM and KLOK La Tricolor 99.5 FM and KDJT
UniMas 33.
To RSVP or for more information, call (831) 275-1300 or email
barbara@readtomeproject.org.
Contact Information: Barbara Greenway, Executive Director,
barbara@readtomeproject.org
Marcy Rustad, Director of Development,
marcy@readtomeproject.org
About Jeanne Herrick:
Jeanne
Herrick has more than 40 years of experience in public education
working for the San Jose Unified School District and Alisal Union School
District. She is a leader in K-12 district reform and has championed
the “Reading First” effort through grant development and implementation.
Ms. Herrick is recognized as a statewide expert in the areas of English
Language Learner academic language and literacy development. In the
Alisal Union School District (AUSD), Ms. Herrick shaped the initial K-3
reading program that supports stronger reading achievement in the early
grades. She has received state level recognition for her work. Ms.
Herrick has been instrumental in the expansion of the Read to Me Project
in Alisal, supporting its growth from 23 to 52 classrooms with 730 AUSD
students reading to 850 young siblings.
About the new Hampton Inn & Suites Salinas:
The
new 105-room Hampton Inn & Suites Salinas opened in early 2014 at
the corner of Work and John Streets, right off of Highway 101. The
Hampton Inn offers hot breakfasts every morning, complementary Wi-Fi, an
indoor pool, hot tub, and fitness center as well as HD Direct TV
channels and other amenities. It is located just 15 miles from Monterey
and close to all Salinas attractions including golf, wine tasting and
local events including the California International Air Show, Monterey
Sports Car Festival, and the Steinbeck Festival.
About The Read to Me Project:
The
Read to Me Project is an early literacy program that helps prepare
young children to enter kindergarten with the knowledge, vocabulary, and
comprehension skills that will help them succeed in school and become
literate and successful adults. The Project provides structure and
opportunity for infants, toddlers and preschoolers to be regularly read
to at home by their elementary-aged brothers and sisters. The Read to Me
Project is currently reaching 82 classrooms in East Salinas, Gonzales,
Greenfield, Carmel Valley and Big Sur with more than 1000 students
reading to 1350 young siblings.
The Read to Me Project
is easy and inexpensive to implement, immediate, direct, and powerful;
reaching large numbers of young children where they learn best, at home.
Families become engaged in providing their young children with the
foundation for learning and life-long literacy. The Read to Me Project
fosters loving and positive relationships among family members and
nourishes lifelong bonds between siblings. It is an organic, simple and
preventative approach as opposed to in-school remediation programs that
are costly, require children to fail first, and are often provided too
late.
How the Read to Me Project works:
The
Project is implemented in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade classrooms in
primarily low-literacy school districts. Students are taught about early
brain development, the importance of reading to young children and “The
9 Best Ways to Read to Young Children.”
Participating
classrooms are provided with age appropriate books carefully chosen for
content, developmental level and ease of reading by students with
limited reading skills. Each week students check out a book which they
read to their infant, toddler or preschool age brothers and sisters as
part of their nightly homework.
Project coordinators
work closely with teachers and students throughout the year, providing
on-going coaching, training, support and motivation. Students are
recognized for their commitment and participation with an end of the
year award and bag of books so they can continue to read to their
siblings during the summer.
The Read to Me Project has
been carefully developed and designed to provide continuous sibling to
sibling engagement. Young siblings may be read to over a span of up to
three years as participating student readers’ move through grades 4, 5,
and 6. This continuity provides young children with extended exposure to
early literature and increases the likelihood of successful outcomes.
The student readers gain confidence in their own reading skills, become
young mentors and model good family literacy practices. Family bonds are
strengthened and schools and communities are positively affected.
The
Read to Me Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (Federal Tax ID
# 47-1224251). For more information or to make a tax deductible
donation visit the Read to Me Project website at
www.readtomeproject.org
Contact:
Wendy Brickman
Brickman Marketing
395 Del Monte Center #250
Monterey, CA 93940
831-633-4444
http://www.readtomeproject.org
