There’s a plan underway to expand a program that helps promote literacy in young children.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides free monthly books to children from birth to age five. But the United Way of Central New York and the Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County are working to expand that through third grade.
It’s called the “Full STEAM Ahead” program, and United Way President Nancy Kern Eaton said the books focus on concepts involving STEAM, or science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.
"Having kids be comfortable, confident, and understand how to think about those sorts of skills will help them as they go through school and then as they think about possible career pathways," Eaton said.
Eaton said the COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for young children learning to read. Across the state, about half of third graders are reading at grade level, and in Onondaga County, that number is about 40 percent.
The “Full STEAM Ahead” program began at Dr. King Elementary School, and United Way hopes to expand it to four schools in the Syracuse City School District this year.
"We hope it will grow and become a program that people will model, to have that continued push for family literacy and to help parents understand that these STEAM concepts are so vital," Eaton said.
And Eaton said parents can always help their children’s literacy by reading to them 30 minutes each day.
