FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: 618-847-7102 Dr. Jill Andrews Email: jillandrews@fairfieldwireless.

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KIDDIE KOLLEGE OF FAIRFIELD, INC., D/B/A WAYNE COUNTY FAMILY ENRICHMENT PROGRAM TO BE PART OF U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONS INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO LITERACY PROGRAM
Funding will help promote early literacy for young children
FAIRFIELD,IL December 17, 2012) Wayne County Family Enrichment Program has been selected to

receive funding under the U.S. Department of Educations Innovative Approaches to Literacy Program. These funds will enable Wayne County Family Enrichment Program to improve literacy outcomes for 30 families with young children in Wayne county, IL. The Wayne County Family Enrichment Program is one of only 60 Parents as Teachers affiliates across the nation chosen to receive funding under this federal program. Their work will introduce young children and their parents to literacy-focused activities designed to hone literacy skills at an early age. Each program will conduct biweekly visits to share information and activities, such as word play games, rhymes and conversation techniques, designed to help parents encourage their childs reading and verbal language development. To further enrich the home literacy environment, participating children also will receive a free book each month through a partnership with Dolly Partons Imagination Library. Literacy and school-readiness are central to Parents as Teachers, said Dr. Jill Andrews. We are excited to demonstrate the impact of the Parents as Teachers evidence-based model in combination with the evidence-informed Imagination Library on childrens oral language and emergent literacy. The Innovative Approaches to Literacy Program grant is being administered by the Parents as Teachers national office in St. Louis, one of 46 grantees charged with improving literacy skills for children and students from birth through 12th grade. The grantees include school districts with at least 25 percent of students from families below the poverty line and several nonprofit organizations, like Parents as Teachers, who serve high-needs children and families. The Wayne Co Family Enrichment Program is a free program funded through the Illinois State Board of Education. Studies show that Parents as Teachers services increase childrens school success and parental involvement, as well as help improve childrens health and prevent child abuse. Parents as Teachers affiliates also identify and connect families with resources to address developmental, hearing and speech delays that may impact childrens language development. About Parents as Teachers Parents as Teachers is the trusted resource for professionals and organizations in early childhood and education. Headquartered in St. Louis, our internationally recognized network of affiliates supports hundreds of thousands of families in all 50 states as well as seven other countries. Through a proven parent education model featuring in-home visits with parents and their children, Parents as Teachers affiliates equip parents with knowledge and resources to prepare their children for a stronger start in life and greater success in school. Parents as Teachers has one of only nine home visiting models approved by the federal government through the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. For more information, visit www.ParentsAsTeachers.org.