COMMUNITY NEWS
EARLY LITERACY AT HEART OF ANNUAL GALA By Micki Bare FOR THE CHILDREN
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ince 2009, the Gala for the Children has served as Randolph Partnership for Children’s (RPC) premiere fundraising and benefit auction event. Those familiar with the RPC’s fundraiser know the theme is always a well-known children’s book, series, or author. Community members, business owners and leaders, and elected officials alike have enjoyed coming together to celebrate Mother Goose and Dr. Seuss. They’ve hobnobbed with Peter Pan and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. They’ve voyaged to Where the Wild Things Are. The focus on children’s literature brings out the wideeyed inner child of guests to this annual event. However, there’s a greater purpose to RPC’s storybook themes. Early literacy is a foundation of RPC’s work in early childhood. It is critical to brain growth and development in the first years of life. It is a predictor to later success in school and life. Children who are read to and have access to books at home and in early care and preschool reap cognitive, health, and social and emotional benefits that last a lifetime. “As a parent and educator, nothing warms my heart more than hearing those three sweet words, ‘Read it again!’” Shannon McCrary, RPC Board Director said. McCrary also serves as RPC’s Sustainability Committee Chairperson and served with husband, Walker, as 2018 Gala for the Children Chairperson. “We know when young children have access
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to books, their brains grow bigger. The earlier we get books into their hands, the better. Reading to children from birth and having access to books in the home is essential to early learning.” The Gala for the Children has always been more than a fundraiser. RPC uses the event to highlight the importance, reach, and impact of local early literacy programs like these: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: Dolly Parton began the Imagination Library in 1995 in her home county in East Tennessee to inspire a love of reading, plant the seeds of lifelong dreams, and combat illiteracy. This program is now a global effort that provides children younger than 5 a free book every month until their fifth birthday. Locally, parents can register their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers online at SmartStart.org/DPIL or by contacting RPC. In Randolph County, more than 4000 children are receiving books through the Imagination Library. RPC works with community partners to reach the more than 8,000 children younger than 5 in the county, all of which are eligible for this program. Reach Out and Read: Local pediatricians and healthcare providers “prescribe” books and family reading time through Reach Out and Read. Participating doctor’s offices have a literacy-rich child’s waiting area filled with children’s books. At each well-child check-up between 6 months and age 5, the child receives a free book to take home. At the same time, parents learn strategies for incorporating reading time into the family’s daily routine. Reach Out and Read participating providers through RPC’s High Qualitydesignated program include Asheboro Children’s Health and Randolph Health Pediatrics in Asheboro; and Randolph Health Liberty in Liberty. Healthcare providers who want to participate in Reach Out and Read can contact RPC for more information. Books for Babies: RPC assists Randolph County Public Library Friends with this outreach program. Books for Babies provides a bag for parents of newborns that includes board books to read with baby, a blanket, and information on the Imagination Library, Reach Out and
