Kiwanians help plant a seed

Press release

Plant a Seed ... READ!, a local nonprofit which supports early literacy for children through age 5, has presented funds to support registration for 40 children within Hill County through a generous donation of $1,000 from the Havre Kiwanis Club.

This gift will enable Plant a Seed ... READ! to fund registrations for these 40 children with 12 age appropriate books per child for a year.

Plant a Seed ... READ! is the champion for the Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library. The program raises funds for the Imagination Library through fundraisers, donations and grants.

In Hill County, approximately 1,000 children qualify to receive the books, but more funds are needed to reach this goal. Research shows the earlier parents read aloud to their children, especially the first three years, the benefits greatly increase childrens ability to learn when starting school.

Why is it so important for families to read aloud to young children from birth? There are six components that reading aloud supports during these early years:

• Love of reading - Parents demonstrate that reading is pleasurable and valued

• Language - The number of words a child knows when he or she enters kindergarten is the most important predictor of a child's success or failure

• Knowledge - A child can learn something new when read aloud to even with repeated readings

• Literacy skills - Reading aloud is invaluable for building literacy skills

• Bonding - There is nothing better than sharing a good book with a child on your lap

• Brain development - Babies are born learning. Parents are a child's first and most important teacher.

Anyone interested in donating to Plant a Seed ... READ! to adopt a reader for $25 per year per child, may send donations to: Plant a Seed ... READ!, PO Box 782, Havre, MT 59501.

For further information contact: Lorraine Verploegen, program director at [email protected].