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MassLive: Interactive literacy program encourages families to explore Springfield
Oct 29, 2020
By Elizabeth Román | eroman@repub.com
“We want families to be able to relate the book to the place they are visiting,” said Chrissy Howard, program manager for Reading Success by 4th Grade. “In this case we are at the beautiful GTC Farm Store, so the book talks about farming and gardening and vegetables.”
Reading Success, Springfield’s community-wide early literacy initiative, has launched an initiative to get families out into the community reading books and enjoying the many family-friendly locations Springfield has to offer.
Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno stopped by the farm store on Thursday to check out the first location for Springfield Story Walks.
“Connecting literacy, young people and families and making those pathways is so important,” he said. “So they are here on Walnut Street and then can go to the East Forest Park Library, then Symphony Hall, so then all of a sudden the book you have like ‘Ugly Vegetables’ has a great story to tell. The more you are able to read, the more you are able to learn.”
Zee Johnson, owner of Olive Tree Books-n-Voices in Springfield, and Tyeshia Weir, a parent liaison and family literacy advocate leader for the reading initiative, both did short read-a-louds to demonstrate how families can engage with the book and the space they are in.
Howard said the Springfield Story Walks project will feature original full-color pages from children’s books installed in outdoor community settings, where families can walk along a path and read together.
“You don’t have to own the book, you don’t have to touch anything,” Howard said. “You can just stand outside enjoying the location and reading the book which will in some way connect to the space you’re in."
“This is a safe, socially distanced activity that families can do together,” she said. “We will also have copies of the book available at each of our library branches in case families want to reread them at home.”
The first Story Walk will be at Gardening the Community through the fall. Families can learn where the next pop-up Story Walk location will be by joining the city’s 413Families text program, or checking news sites and the city library system website.
Howard said the initiative will also feature raffle prizes for each location. Raffles will be announced through 413Families.
“These are prizes we purchase from the organization and will raffle off,” she said. “We try to make sure we are making it mutually beneficial for that organization to offer their space. I’m very passionate about working with organizations, especially those run by people of color or women or small business owners, and that they be compensated for their time and energy.”
Those who visit the Walnut Street Story Walk may run into Fatiha Muhammad, the youth development manager at the Gardening the Community greenhouse.
“I find this work to be very rewarding,” she said. "I can put something into the ground and watch it come up right in front of me. I’m feeding my community, people who look like me, people who don’t look like me, people with more or less resources than me, and I think that’s super important.”
Muhammad said she hopes people will take advantage of the opportunity to visit the farm store and not only read the story, but also get a look at the youth working in the greenhouse.
“People talk about police brutality and racial injustice and systemic problems,” she said, “but if you really look into it you can see all of a community’s struggles through their food and what kind of food is available to them. We are bridging the gap and bringing people together through affordable, locally grown food.”
The Story Walk concept was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Howard said she is excited to bring the concept to Springfield.
Earlier this summer, the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading announced that Springfield was one of 21 communities nationwide to be recognized with national Pacesetter Honors for supporting early school success, with exemplary work in the categories of Big Tent Collaboration and Messaging and Communications. Springfield was also named a Pacesetter Bright Spot for School Readiness.
Chrissy Howard
Manager
Reading Success by 4th Grade
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