Most children learn to read and write in kindergarten or first grade, but the foundation for those literacy skills is laid years before children enter school. Literacy skills actually begin at birth, as children interact and have experiences with language and literacy with the adults and even other children around them.
The West Chester Area School District’s Preschool Parents Group is hosting a Preschool Literacy Fun Night on Thursday, Nov. 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School. The event is free and open to the public. It’s designed to be an interactive learning experience for both preschoolers and parents. RSVP at http://home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/ForParents/Preschool_Parents__Club or email beth.trapani@verizon.net.
The event is designed and produced by West Chester University literacy students and faculty. The students have planned numerous engaging, hands-on activities centered around an autumn theme, all designed to promote early literacy development. Preschoolers will have a chance to participate in read-aloud puppet and costume shows, and to use candy corn to form letters as they work on their fine motor skills. Preschoolers will focus on listening skills as they work with university students using iPads, and they’ll get a chance to tell stories of their own.
The event benefits everyone involved: Children will have fun and a great learning experience; Parents will get some ideas for activities to use at home; University students will get a chance to work directly with preschoolers.
This project intersects with the E.L.I.A.N. (Early Literacy is a Necessity) project that the WCU literacy minors initiated. E.L.I.A.N. provides high-quality early literacy experiences and materials for English Language Learner and low-income students living in the West Chester borough. The students have the goal of providing high quality early literacy experiences to all students – the literacy fair/fun night allows them to expand that effort beyond the E.L.I.A.N.
The West Chester Area School District Preschool Parents Group is a free group that provides free programming for preschool paged children and their parents. The group offers a combination of fun, educational activities for kids and parent education sessions. All are designed to help parents better prepare their children for kindergarten – through enriching play and literacy-based activities.
To RSVP for the Literacy Fun Night or any of the group’s other events, visit http://home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/ForParents/Preschool_Parents__Club or email beth.trapani@verizon.net. You can find the group’s page by visiting http://www.wcasd.net and clicking on Preschool Parents Group under Quick Links.
Philaburban Mom 