Tricia Bohan Photo
The governor, a hospital CEO and a newborn bear took center stage Thursday as Read to Grow, a Branford-based literacy organization, honored their efforts in promoting childhood literacy.
The organization’s 2012 Leadership Awards were presented to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for his work on education reform; and to Marna Borgstrom, CEO of Yale-New Haven Hospital, which was the first hospital to partner with Read to Grow in 1999.
Diana Stricker Photo
The newest addition to the Read to Grow family was introduced — a book about a baby bear titled “Welcome to the World!” The book was written for Read to Grow by noted children’s author Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, (pictured) who lives in the Short Beach section of Branford.
“I feel like we’re a community of kindred spirits,” said Read to Grow founder Roxanne J. Coady as she welcomed 250 people to the celebratory luncheon at the New Haven Lawn Club. “Your support over 12 years has allowed us to give out nearly one million books.”
Following the luncheon, Coady and Borgstrom led a discussion with the governor about the impact of literacy on health and poverty.
When Coady asked the governor what drives his passion for education, he said that for him, it’s personal experience.
“I grew up with severe learning and physical disabilities,” said Malloy, who was diagnosed with dyslexia, a reading and writing disorder. “I have a special appreciation of missing out on opportunities and having to catch up.”
Malloy said that 50 percent of students in low-performing urban schools do not graduate. He said studies show that if a child is lagging in literacy skills in fourth grade, it will take a “Herculean effort” to catch up. “Literacy skill acquisition is the reasonable predictor of success at the end of 13 years of education,” he said.
In 2011, Read to Grow distributed books and literacy packets to 18,000 newborns at 10 partner hospitals. An additional 136,00 books were distributed through another Read to Grow program, Books for Kids.
For the first time, the book being distributed to newborns at hospitals statewide is one that was written and published specifically for Read To Grow. It tells the story of a bear family who reads, talks, plays and sings with its newborn cub. The last two pages give basic advice to parents about how they can build their child’s literacy skills. The book tells families, “You are your baby’s first and most important teacher.”
Coady, who lives in Branford and owns of R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, said she was looking for a new book to distribute in hospital nurseries that would offer the kind of advice that Read to Grow espouses. After looking at hundreds of books, Coady decided the organization needed to create its own. She contacted Wallace, who has been involved with Read to Grow since its beginning. Coady said she hopes “Welcome to the World” will become a national benchmark in early literacy efforts.
Anthony DiLauro, the new executive director of Read to Grow, said the book was a collaborative effort of volunteers and professionals. “They worked to make sure the book was diverse and that everybody could relate to it,” DiLauro said.
Diana Stricker Photo
Read to Grow’s Books for Babies program, which began in 1999, distributes books and literacy packets to newborns in maternity wards at partner hospitals, the audience learned. Literacy volunteers also visit with the families at the hospital.
“We currently reach over 50 percent of the newborns in our state,” Coady said, emphasizing that she wants that number to increase to 100 percent. She said donations are needed to establish partnerships with additional hospitals.
Coady thanked Borgstrom for Yale-New Haven’s willingness to help pioneer literacy efforts in the program’s early days.
“Yale New Haven Hospital paved the way because they knew this would help their new moms,” Coady said. “It is that support that we are honoring today.” She described Borgstrom as “one of our nations’ leaders in health care.”
Borgstrom in turn congratulated Coady and the governor for their efforts to improve literacy. “Amazing changes are taking place and improvements are underway in Connecticut,” she said.
Malloy designated 2012 as the year for education reform. He spearheaded legislation to promote early childhood education, turn around low-performing schools, remove red tape so that schools can be innovative; and deliver more resources to districts with the greatest need. Click here to read a story about Branford’s connection to the education initiative.
As part of that reform, 1,000 new early learning slots were created, with 750 of them in the 31 low-performing districts.
“Our emphasis is on early childhood literacy acquisition,” Malloy said, adding that the 31 lowest performing districts educate 41 percent of Connecticut students. “Early childhood education is by far the biggest bang for the buck you can get,” he said.
Malloy said one-third of students enter kindergarten with no pre-school experience and without reading-readiness skills. “We have to make sure no child is denied quality early education because of the circumstances of their parents,” he said.
Malloy said passing the education bills and initiating new programs is just the beginning of the challenge to close the education gap that exists in Connecticut — the largest gap in the nation.
“We are fortunate we have a governor who took on the hot potato issue of public education,” Coady said in closing. She said the state’s effort to boost literacy “is a critical step for a lifetime of learning.”
Wallace, who has published 24 children’s books, signed copies of her new book after the program ended. She told the Eagle she is happy to be part of the literacy initiative. “It’s overwhelming and wonderful and delightful,” she said. “To be part of this program is an honor and a privilege.”
Diana Stricker Photo
Coady, (center) with Read to Grow family, told the Eagle that anyone wishing to help can become a volunteer or can donate to the cause. “The first step is to get involved,” she said.
Click here to see the organization’s Web site.
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It is wonderful to see new ways of helping children who have dyslexia compensate for and cope with their reading difficulties. Things like this can make life a lot more pleasant and less stressful for children who struggle with reading. However, we should not forget that most of these children can actually be helped to overcome their reading struggles. What greater gift could we give them than to help them actually overcome their reading struggles rather than just helping them cope?