Mayor's Office-Neighborhood City Halls Administration

A Challenge You Can't Refuse

Mar 01, 2004

Many of "Our Family" Parenting Tips focus on early childhood intervention, helping children learn to read. For over six years, Black Family Development (BFDI) has taken extensive measures to reach pre-school age parents. BFDI's Early Childhood Intervention Programs provide techniques and strategies to teach parents how to teach their children to read. These services are supported through funding form United Way Community Services and the City of Detroit.

An extension of the early childhood intervention service is BFDI's participation in the American Reads Challenge Program. The philosophy behind this "challenge" is that every American can help our children learn to read. "We want parents to be a part of this challenge by starting early, within the first three years, to become their child's principle teacher by engaging in strategies that promote reading," states Qiana Lewis, BFDI Social Worker America Reads Challenge Program. Literature indicates that just as a child develops language skills long before being able to speak, the child also develops literacy skills long befor being able to read. Here are a few facts and tips for parent intervention from the national American Reads Challenge Program:

"Children develop much of their capacity for learing in the first three (3) years of life. Play is the work of young children. From the first lullaby to dramatization of a favorite story, music and other creative arts can stimulate language and literacy development. Parents can help build pre-literacy skills through dramatic play and one-on-one interaction."

Many pediatricians believe that a child who has never held a book or listened to a story is not a fully healthy child. Reading aloud to young children is so critical that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that doctors prescribe reading activities along with other advice given to parents at regular check-ups. Despite the considerabe evidence of a relationship between reading regularly to a child and that child's later reading development, six in ten babies and five in ten toddlers are not read to regularly by parents or family members.

Parent's who participate in the prgram are pleased with the outcome. They initially think the program is just for the children and have reservations when they are asked to participate. However, most parents end up enjoying the educational games and activities as much as the children," states Lewis.

For more information on this program, please contact (313) 272-3500.