By Kelly Giovane, Executive Director of Durand Charm
Early literacy is crucial for developing young minds, encompassing language development, alphabet knowledge, talking and listening skills, and fostering confidence. Despite its importance, busy family schedules, tired parents, and constant distractions from screens often make prioritizing literacy challenging. To address this, Durand Charm, with support from the United Way of Rock River Valley, actively works to emphasize the value of early literacy.
Thanks to financial assistance from United Way, Durand Charm provides books and educational support through several impactful programs. These initiatives remind parents and caregivers of the importance of reading with young children.
Durand Charm’s partner programming includes:
- Book distributions to help families build home libraries during community events such as the Charm-hosted Santa Visit, the Smithsonian's Spark! Places of Innovation in Durand, the Halloween on the Square Trunk or Treat, the Once in a Lifetime Zip Code Day, and the schools’ annual Back-to-School Open House.
- Beyond community events, Durand Charm has expanded literacy efforts into classrooms, focusing on Pre-K through Grade 3. Last year, Durand Charm designed the curriculum for Page Turners, a program where children explore a book in their preschool classroom before taking it home to build their personal library. Additionally, we developed take-home activity kits to complement Accelerated Reader books, encouraging at-home engagement. These kits included games, puzzles, and puppets, providing families with fun, educational tools to reinforce classroom learning.
- Our newest project targets students in grades K-3. With United Way funding, teachers can select three books per year that complement their classroom subjects. After students explore these books in class, they bring them home to share with their families, further reinforcing literacy outside of school.
During this season of gratitude, we at Durand Charm thank the United Way of Rock River Valley for recognizing the importance of early literacy and providing financial support to make these initiatives possible. Together, we are fostering a love for reading that will benefit our community for years to come.