Ferst Readers of Henry County held its annual Spring luncheon on May 10 at the beautiful Refinery Hill. The organization provides children and their families with quality books and useful literacy resources at home during the earliest stage of development. This year the luncheon celebrated the organization's upcoming delivery of its two hundred and fifty thousandth book to a Henry County child.
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Every registered child receives one quality, age-appropriate book each month from birth to the age of five. The parent of every child born at Piedmont Henry Hospital (Henry County residents) is given the opportunity to register their newborn with Ferst Readers and the organization is also working to register every child in pre-school in Henry County. Ferst Readers of Henry County currently serves 2,000 Henry County Pre-schoolers.
The national organization was founded in Georgia 22 years ago by Robyn Ferst to address the growing problem of children, many from low-income communities, entering kindergarten without basic early literacy skills and school readiness. This preventable problem has far-reaching impacts throughout students’ lives. Studies show early school success begins with strong literacy skills. Yet 61 percent of low-income households do not have a book suitable for children in the home.
"Not everyone has access to books because they have to make a choice between food and books," Davida Morgan Washington, President Ferst Readers.
Ferst Readers’ recipe for encouraging early literacy development is simple. Ensure children have developmentally appropriate books in their home and provide parents with resources that support them in their role as their child's first teacher. The program grows confident learners and gives parents confidence in helping their child’s learning.
Children in the Ferst Readers literacy program receive a bookstore-quality, age-specific book mailed to them at home every month until their fifth birthday. Books are mailed with a companion guide for that selected book that aids parents. It's this access to print that helps create a language-rich environment in the home. If a child is registered at birth, they will have a library of 60 books by the time they are five.
"When books are regularly read to children they build their academic muscles from an early age," said Washington. "This sets them on path to reading, comprehension, and problem solving. We can start systematic change by putting a book in the hands of children."
"We can start systematic change by putting a book in the hands of children." - Davida Morgan Washington, President of Ferst Readers
Just $36 will provide books to one child for one year. The majority of the cost of the Ferst Readers program is raised in each community through donations from individuals, corporate sponsorships and foundation grants. If you would like to support Ferst Readers of Henry County, you can make a secure online donation at https://ferstfoundation.ejoinme.org/henrycounty.
