Community Event: Read Across America Celebration of Dr. Seuss Birthday/PBS KIDS Share A Story
Partners:  Martin/Pitt Parents as Teachers Program in collaboration with our local  Sheppard Library, Greenville NC and Chick-Fil-A

Dates:
Date:  Feb. 26th, 2005
(11:00a-12:00p) 
Colonial Mall Greenville
714 SE Greenville Blvd.
Greenville, NC  27858

Date: Wednesday, March 2nd, 2005
(7:00pm-8:00pm)
Sheppard Memorial Library
530 Evans Street
Greenville, NC  27858

Date: Monday, March 7th, 2005
10:00am-11:00am)
Sheppard Memorial Library
530 Evans Street
Greenville, NC  27858

Target Audience:
Childcare providers
Children
Parents
Community at large

Contact person:
Angela McArthur
Parent Educator/Coordinator and UNC-TV Ready To Learn Trainer
252-758-8885
and
Pamela Hines
PreK-12 Manager
UNC-TV
919-549-7149

Description of event:
This collaborative effort is to create public awareness for literacy activities.  Our goal is to increase the number of times that families take quality time to  sit down together and read.
The activities will include a story teller from the library to read stories and do finger plays and Parent Educators from the Parents as Teachers program to incorporate activities that will enhance the books that are chosen to be read.  We will also incorporate activities from the UNC-TV and PBS programming web site (PBS KIDS Share a Story) and show how to tie these together.  This meets U.S. Department of Education, PBS, UNC-TV's, and  Smart Start's literacy standards.
 
Community Impact Statements about UNC-TV's First Books:
"The First Book Club most definitely helps us to reach literacy goals, as, so many of our children do not possess books to keep in their home, now we are placing books in the families hands to build each child's library and make available books for parents to be able to spend that quality time with their child and read.  It's such a powerful bonding and teaching experience for families.  I don't know how to thank you enough for including our program in your literacy initiative."

"One last thing... I went on a home visit just before Christmas and the mother had the TV on your station when I arrived.  She went to turn it off and I told her that she was watching one of my favorite children's shows (Between The Lions).  This family is a Spanish speaking family and she just smiled at me.  She makes sure that her son watches this show each day because he is receiving Speech Therapy and they are starting to introduce English words into his therapy sessions.  She went on to tell me that this show was one of the ways that she learned to speak English.  That is a very powerful statement to make about your programming.  Keep up the good work for the CHILDREN and the PARENTS you never know when your are truly making a difference.  "

Look at What Happened in 2003 - 2004