BABIES  AND  BOOKS

BELONG TOGETHER

SPONSORED BY THE ROTARY CLUB OF CHATHAM SUNRISE

THE ROTARY CLUB OF CHATHAM SUNRISE
IS PROMOTING THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY LITERACY
BY PROVIDING A BOOK FOR EVERY BABY BORN
IN CHATHAM-KENT

     Sunrise President Jim Nash with Carrie Myers
     Early Literacy Specialist
     Chatham-Kent Ontario Early Years
     Chatham-Kent Children's Service - carrie.myers@ckcs.on.ca
 

CARRIE SAYS - Family Literacy Day! FLD is a nationally celebrated day every January 27 to promote learning together as a family. Is there a better day than to officially kick off the Rotary Club of Chatham Sunrise Babies and Books Belong Together Campaign?!

We know: that Early Literacy skills develop early in life (@ birth) and are critical to a child’s health, behaviour, school and lifelong success.

We know: The early experiences children have in the first 3years of life have a profound impact on how the brain develops.

We know: what we do NOW matters!!

     Parents Know: that they love their children more than anything in the world and they want what’s best for their newborn. Just as they are eager to learn how to feed them, how to care for them, how to keep them safe….they want to know, they must know ….. how to grow healthy minds and spirits!!

     Rotary knows…..giving this book says that Literacy is important; that literacy begins in the home and that reading to children develops – their language, listening, rhyming, singing, imagination and creativity …. It says to mothers and fathers “YOU” are your child’s most and important teacher….because reading to a child teaches them to love and trust, to speak and to listen!  And ….because we all know that we can never have those early years over again.

Thank you Rotary members for your commitment to this message and to the families of Chatham Kent. Thank you for working together with the community - especially the wonderful project partners in this room – Prism Centre, the Public Health Unit, Imagination Ink, CK Children’s Services and the Ontario Early Years Centre.

Together we are laying the foundation towards healthy child development one book at a time.

The benefit to children and their well being will extend for years beyond the funding you provide.

Partners included: The Ontario Early Years Centre Chatham-Kent Public Health Imagination Inc

March 2008