Programs

Position Statements:

  1. Parents should begin reading books and sharing positive language from birth. Many parents do not know how to do this; these are our targeted parents.
  2. Many low income parents do not have books in their homes.
  3. Parents who learn about the importance of very early literacy to their babies' success in school, and who are gently motivated to do so, will read books, and share positive language, and find it a joyful, bonding experience.
  4. The first three years of life are critical in wiring the brain for language development.
  5. Reading aloud is the single most important source of new words and the single most important activity to prepare children for learning to read. (Commission on Reading, Jim Trelease)

Lapsits Reaches Parents Through:

  1. Holding parent workshops with Lapsits materials and free books to motivate parents.
  2. Providing readers for children 4 and under in low income child care centers-readers send home reading tip cards and free books.
  3. Providing circulating, collaboratively-funded book bags in child care centers for home reading.
  4. Orienting providers on how to motivate parents to read books and share positive language.
  5. Placing posters in waiting rooms such as DSS and United Ministries frequented by low-income pre-k families.
LAPSITS PROVIDES THESE PROGRAMS

Sites With Lapsits Readers and Parent Workshops:

Volunteers share books, songs, and fingerplays with children 6 weeks to 4 years old in their classrooms. The average number of books provided per center is 70. Book bins containing the books are rotated every 3 months, so that children see new books on a continuing basis.

We also give to each family 6 free books for their home library for reading. Three books will be sent home by readers and 3 through parent meetings' modeling sessions. A Parent Tip Card accompanies each book to extend the language activities between parent and child.

Lapsits offers Story Time Fun for Parent & Child weekly at 10:00 - 10:45 a.m. at Pleasant Valley Connection.

Workshop trainers share books, songs and fingerplays with parents and their children 6 months to 4 years olds. Story Time Fun weekly themes include:

Lapsits provides books to parents of foster care children under age 4 through a First Steps and DSS partnership.

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Lapsits for Early Literacy · PO BOX 9847 · Greenville, SC 29604 · Office: Sterling Hope Center 864.349.0127 ext. 108 ·