There are 1,490 children under age 5 in Emanuel County. The greatest amount of brain growth occurs between birth and age five. In fact, by age 3, roughly 85% of the brain's core structure is formed. In contrast, the majority of our investments are made in the traditional education years of K-12, which begin at age five.
Reaching those children and encouraging their families to begin reading to them at an early age is the goal for Emanuel County Family Connection. While searching for and developing a strategy Family Connection has partnered with Ferst Readers to improve early childhood literacy in Emanuel County.
Ferst Readers’ mission is strengthening communities by providing quality books and literacy resources for children and their families to use at home during the earliest stages of development. Children in the Ferst Readers literacy program receive bookstore quality, age-specific books and resources mailed to them at home every month until their fifth birthday. It is this access to print which helps create a language-rich environment in the home.
Positive outcomes of participation in the Ferst Readers program are surveyed at 85% of Ferst Readers' parents read at home daily compared to the national average of 43%. School readiness surveys conducted showed that Ferst Readers children demonstrate better reading behaviors, are much more actively engaged during story time and are better listeners. Ferst Readers parents are more engaged across the board in their children's academic progress than non-Ferst Readers parents.
Ferst Readers includes parents in this mission. Each book is accompanied by a parent engagement newsletter, which contains a learning guide to help them while reading to their child. The best testimony about the newsletter came from a mother that says, “I don't want to be a Pinterest Mom. I don't have time to search for crafts and cute ways to cut fruit. I know that when that newsletter gets here that it is going to have everything that I need to make my child's experience with that book special."
Testimonies from Emanuel County parents and early childhood educators say:
“Receiving free books each month from the Ferst Readers Program in Emanuel County gives my 3-year-old a strong foundation for learning and a love for reading. He looks forward to "Book Day" each month and getting to get his new book from the mailbox. Regular exposure to books builds vocabulary, improves listening skills, and strengthens attention span—key skills that will help him succeed in school. Having a variety of books at home also encourages daily reading habits and quality bonding time, setting him up for a smoother and more confident start to school. We are so appreciative of this program and the positive influence it is making on my son.” - Keri Claxton, mother and Kindergarten teacher.
“Ferst Readers has opened the door for a love of reading for my youngest child! Through this program, my daughter has received a wide variety of books that she looks through and tries to read to herself. She has gained so many early literacy skills that otherwise would be missing if she had not had the opportunity to have books at home before kindergarten. Our time reading together has fostered so many meaningful conversations about book characters, her own likes and dislikes, and how she would respond if she was a character in a book. She has a strong imagination and loves to act out the stories she’s read through this program. I’m confident she is better prepared for kindergarten because we’ve participated in Ferst Readers. We love watching how excited she is to check the mail to see if a new book has arrived!” - Tara Rowland, mother and Pre K teacher.
“The thing that I like about the Ferst Readers program is that we receive a new book and the parent newsletter every month. This has helped me as a parent to establish a routine of reading with my child. I see that I am spending more time with my son. I can tell he enjoys the books even at his young age.” - Emanuel County mother of a 7-month-old child.
Emanuel County Family Connection manages the Ferst Readers program by promoting registration and all the fundraising needed to offer the program free of charge to the families who enroll. They will be conducting their annual fall fundraiser in October which is a “Book Character Contest” and hope that you will consider supporting this excellent program to improve childhood literacy and the future of Emanuel County.
