High-energy, well-attended night of family learning exemplifies NCFL, JCPS partnership before USDOE representatives

“I am not sure there would have been such a crowded room if the invitation had read ‘Come learn the steps for the dialogic reading process,’” writes the U.S. Department of Education in their May 11, 2015 blog post about a recent Family Literacy Night in in Louisville, Ky. that was attended by USDOE’s Dr. Libby Doggett, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Early Learning, and Brenda Girton-Mitchell, Director of the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

“Thanks to the teachers who maintain close working relationships with the children and their families, 84 percent of [McFerran Early Childhood Center’s] 74 families were present to participate in a fun-filled evening with ‘Pete the Cat.’”

There was singing, dancing, and, yes, dialogic reading. This high-energy and well-attended night of family learning exemplifies NCFL’s partnership with Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) to help early childhood teachers utilize proven literacy strategies that build parent capacity to engage in joint learning with their children and build critical early literacy skills.

JCPS and NCFL have been working together to improve kindergarten readiness in the Louisville community through the implementation of NCFL’s family engagement model that extends learning beyond the classroom and into the homes and communities.

Recently, energizing its early childhood education efforts, JCPS launched Ready for Kindergarten, a site dedicated to providing families key resources, activities, and indicators to help improve the kindergarten readiness of young children in its urban school district.

“’Ready for Kindergarten’ is a great example of a school district’s strong commitment to early education success,” said Sharon Darling, NCFL president and founder. “This website can be a great resource for schools across the country.”