ANN ARBOR—Sixteen families from Detroit’s Peter Vetal Elementary School are discovering how to turn playtime into learning fun. In October, these families attended the first of a series of workshops on literacy, sponsored by the University of Michigan America Reads Program.

This national literacy program aims to serve elementary school children with the mission: “reading well and independently by the end of third-grade.” Most of the U-M America Reads Program takes place in elementary classrooms; U-M students work with youngsters in 11 communities in southeastern Michigan to engage them in reading.

At Vetal, however, the evening program runs as an auxiliary to the classroom sessions. Albert Wat, U-M program coordinator, works with the families of the children to find unique ways to incorporate literacy development into daily life. Parents and staff brainstormed ideas and plans to implement ways for improving reading and vocabulary, including using flashcards and playing games with their kids. Bingo and Concentration are two games that are especially popular, says Wat.

“The program is designed to involve families in their children’s education and help further the America Reads program that begins in the schools,” Wat says.

Wat is assisted by Detroit residents Pamela Allen, a kindergarten teacher at Vetal, and Cynthia Davis, a Vetal parent who attended all of the pilot workshops last spring. One of Davis’ roles, says Wat, is to recruit parents to attend this year’s sessions. The family workshops are slated for expansion because of increased funding from the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan.

According to Wat, 27 families attended at least one of the sessions last spring and 16 families came to the first of the bimonthly workshops this fall.

“The format is designed so that kids and parents participate together in these workshops in a very hands-on manner,” says Wat. “We introduce activities and give parents time to try them out right there with their kids.”

The workshops will focus on how to engage children’s interest in reading while reading and learning together. “We introduced families to the Internet, toured a local public library and talked about ways to incorporate reading and writing into such routine activities as grocery shopping and cooking,” says Wat.

Additional families are welcome to attend future sessions.

For more information, contact America Reads at the Center for Community Service Learning in Ann Arbor, (734) 647-7766.

National America Reads link

America Reads