Each year Big Five Head Start participates in the national reading program, “Ready to Read.”

This program is a part of its overall literacy focus for school readiness.

“There’s no better time to introduce children to the joys of reading than when they are young,” said Donna Wixom, child development advisory and literary transition specialist.

“A strong acquaintance with books, sound and language is one of the best preparations for starting school.”

Big Five recently held an awards presentation to recognize those who participated, including Oliver Marquez, who was the classroom’s top reader for the year.

The goal of “Ready to Read” program is to help parents become involved in their child’s education and support their children in becoming enthusiastic readers, Wixom added.

The theme this year is “Open a Book, Find an Adventure.”

Each Head Start classroom is encouraged to promote and support this program in their classroom and for their families throughout the school year.

One way we do this is with a bulletin board in the classroom charting the children’s reading progress and a reading challenge.

From October to March, parents will turn in monthly totals of how many books are read to their child by anyone in the home.

“Parents and siblings are encouraged to read and report to show their support and to make reading a fun family activity,” Wixom said.

National statistics indicate a great need for intervention programs that nurture home literacy habits and school readiness for children birth through 5 years of age, according to Wixom.

“This reading program is designed to meet the great need that exists in our communities for projects that support families’ efforts to foster literacy,” Wixom said. “Only through a cooperative, concentrated effort of the school and the family will the cycle of illiteracy be broken.”

During the literacy challenge awards presentation all children in the classroom will be recognized and receive a medal, certificate, library book bag and other prizes for their efforts.

The top student reader received a literacy challenge theme t-shirt and his family received a Walmart gift card in recognition of the family participating in the challenge.

The classroom at each site that has the most families participating in this literacy challenge will also receive a Walmart gift card for an end-of-year reading celebration.