"COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS FIGHT ILLITERACY" --- JOIN HEARING AND SPEECH CENTER OF FLORIDA'S "PRE-LITERACY READ ALOUD PROJECT"

The Hearing and Speech Center of Florida (HSCF), a 67-year-old United Way agency, is working to change these statistics with its community volunteer program, the "Pre-literacy Read Aloud Project." With funding from Dade Community Foundation, Peacock Foundation, the Anderson Foundation, and others, this Project successfully launched in September 2002, with participation by more than twenty volunteers who visited three different YWCA childcare centers in Miami-Dade County over a course of six months. The Center is now recruiting volunteers for the second phase of the "Pre-literacy Read Aloud Project," which begins on March 15th with a three-hour training. Following training, volunteers will visit the Bethany Childcare Center at 911 NW 183rd St. in North Miami and read to children weekly from 10:00 to 11:00 AM from March 24th through April 28th.

February 26, 2003 (PRWEB) March 19, 2003 --- Recent U.S. Dept. of Education studies show more than four in 10 preschoolers, five in 10 toddlers and six in 10 babies are not read to regularly by parents or family members, despite other research that shows the first three to five years of a baby's life are when the brain develops most.

The Hearing and Speech Center of Florida (HSCF), a 67-year-old United Way agency, is working to change these statistics with its community volunteer program, the "Pre-literacy Read Aloud Project." With funding from Dade Community Foundation, Peacock Foundation, the Anderson Foundation, and others, this Project successfully launched in September 2002, with participation by more than twenty volunteers who visited three different YWCA childcare centers in Miami-Dade County over a course of six months. The Center is now recruiting volunteers for the second phase of the "Pre-literacy Read Aloud Project," which begins on March 15th with a three-hour training. Following training, volunteers will visit the Bethany Childcare Center at 911 NW 183rd St. in North Miami and read to children weekly from 10:00 to 11:00 AM from March 24th through April 28th.

The HSCF "Pre-literacy Read Aloud Project" coordinators identify community volunteers, and provide instructions in screenings, speech-language evaluation and therapy, and childcare worker trainings in a one time, three hour training. Each volunteer learns how to nurture pre-literacy skills in children, and then visits a designated childcare center in Miami-Dade County, where they read aloud to children; introducing them to pre-literacy materials and encouraging print recognition in everyday situations.

Governor Bush has stated that reading is the most powerful skill a child can learn, as it influences success in school and improves the overall quality of life. The unequivocal goal is for all students in Florida to be able to read on grade level or higher throughout their school years. On September 7, 2001, Governor Bush signed the "Just Read, Florida!" executive order directing the Florida Dept. of Education to work with local school districts, educators, parents and community members to review current reading programs and make recommendations on reading standards, effective strategies and reading course requirements.

However, few legislators and educators have focused on the pre-literacy needs of pre-school children in low-income areas who may not attend pre-schools or daycare centers. Children from 6 months to five years who may come from non-literate homes, have illiterate parents; or parents who know how to read their own language, but not English; and others who do not read to their children at all. This places these children at a significant disadvantage in language development and consequent learning skills.

"Our goal is to reach out to as many kids as we can and expand the pre-literacy program," states HSCF Executive Director Lillian Poms.

Established in 1936, the veteran not-for-profit Center serves more than 4,000 clients annually with a professional staff of twenty employees including speech-language pathologists, audiologist, occupational therapist, case manager, educational psychologist, and an administrative staff of four. Staff members have doctoral and master degrees and/or state licenses and certifications from the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association. HSCF Programs include speech and language screening, testing and therapy; occupational therapy; audiological testing; parent training programs; accent reduction; English as a Second Language classes; public speaking instruction; lip reading classes; and the "Hanen Program." HSCF also provides the most current technology in hearing aids and assistive listening devices. HSCF also coordinates outreach programs to a variety of facilities throughout Miami-Dade County such as Headstart, Redland Migrant Association, private pre-schools, subsidized childcare centers, and senior centers. Additionally, HSCF administers The Batchelor Foundations Help Them to Hear" Hearing Aid Scholarship Fund, which provides economically disadvantaged children with hearing aids and assistive listening devices.

HSCF main office is located at 9425 SW 72nd Street, Suite 216, Miami, FL 33173, with satellite offices in Miami Lakes and Leisure City. For additional information, call (305) 271-7343, e-mail HSCF@aol.com or visit us at www.hearingandspeechcenter.org.

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