I love the whole genre of children's books. One of my most favorite activities is browsing about bookstores, especially children's bookstores such as Linden Tree and Hickelbees. If I lived in Portland, Oregon, I'd take up residency within the dusty mansion of Powells Books.
Coffee. Books. Rain. A winning combo.
We are readers. I enjoy buying books for my children. Our structurally weak Ikea bookshelf is at capacity, leaning dangerously to one side. We have board books and picture books, chapter books and lift-a-flap books, vintage books (from my childhood & from used bookstores) and over-sized books from the bargain bin, we have books on CD and books downloaded to my iPod. We also make the rounds of our local libraries, but those outings must be carefully timed to coincide with my boys' good moods; we've been reprimanded there more than once by stern librarians. My husband and I have been reading to our boys since they were tiny bundles. My husband includes an elaborate, improvised story every night before bedtime. In the darkness of the room, two wide-eyed boys stare at the images flying all around, until eventually, they surrender to sleep, hugged by the words of their dad.
Earlier this month, I joined other Silicon Valley Moms Blog contributors for a discussion hosted by LeapFrog. Dr. Anne Cunningham, of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Education, and on the LeapFrog advisory board, led the forum which focused on the importance of reading to your
children. (For a great recap of the discussion, read Linsey's post on Me Too You or this post from a third grade teacher.) What struck me the most during the discussion were the implications of the Matthew Effect
which Dr. Cunningham touched upon in her presentation.
The Matthew Effect as applied to literacy describes how the have and the have-nots grow further apart in their reading achievements based on the
disparity of their early exposure to reading. Basically, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It has largely to do with one's
socioeconomic background. In a tiny nutshell, the have-nots have not been given huge doses of
language at an early age. So by the third grade, when expectations of language
comprehension greatly expands, the have-not kids are at a huge
disadvantage. Some of these kids might not ever learn to read.
As I and my fellow attendees gleefully brought home bagfuls of LeapFrog
products that night, I started to think about the Matthew Effect of the have and the have-nots. I quite often feel like a have-not by Silicon Valley standards yet as I review all that I've been able
to give my children, despite not being materially wealthy, I have to think
that my children are very, very lucky. They have parental involvement on
their side. They have books, trips to the library, preschool, dinnertime conversation, and now, our new LeapFrog Tag Reading System. Thus, we may not have material wealth, but we are a family firmly on the side of the "haves."
So I wondered, how does LeapFrog attempt to create haves in a have-not world? Clearly, a low income family cannot afford to plunk down over $50 for a Tag Reading System. According to a spokesperson at LeapFrog, the company believes that early literacy experience is the key to reading success. They would like to spread the experience of early literacy to ALL children. LeapFrog is currently developing a program with PACEAPP (Professional Association for Childhood Education Alternative Payment Program) to bring books and possibly the Tag Reading System into the hands of low-income families. The collaboration aims to go beyond the delivery of reading materials and into the realm of educating low-income parents on early literacy skills. LeapFrog also sponsors campaigns like 2008 Read for the Record and promotes literacy through local events and charities. These are just a few of the many programs LeapFrog is implementing in its effort to advance early literacy.
I'm proud of you, LeapFrog,thank you for reaching out to young readers of ALL families.
Original blog post to Chalk and Cheese Chronicles.
Akemi/svtwinmom is hoping to someday use the Tag Reader to learn a new language. Product development, are you listening?
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