YORK COUNTY — To become successful in today’s world, every child should have an opportunity to acquire literacy skills and a new program intends to provide just that right here in York County. 

Maine Families York County, an initiative of Southern Maine Health Care, has announced a partnership with the United Way of York County to boost literacy participation in the area.

Through the new program, 122 families participating in the Maine Families York County initiative are being given a new book every month from October 2017 to January 2018 by program representatives.

“We are incredibly grateful to the United Way for helping Maine Families to foster a lifelong love of reading in children,” said Maine Families York County Director Tracee Golet. “Literacy is such an important cornerstone of early childhood development. Without the solid foundation that reading provides, children struggle to learn and achieve all that they can be as they grow into adulthood.”

According to the Interational Literacy Association, the correlation between literacy and the future success of children is directly linked.

It defines literacy as the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, compute, and communicate using visual, audible, and digital materials across disciplines and in any context.

ILA studies show that the ability to read, write, and communicate connects people to one another and empowers them to achieve things they never thought possible and that communication and connection are the basis of who we are and how we live together and interact with the world.

And early literacy efforts are crucial to setting the tone for a lifetime of learning, says Zero to Three, an early literacy policy network.

Zero to Three says that learning to read and write doesn’t start in Kindergarten or first grade, rather developing language and literacy skills begins at birth through everyday loving interactions, such as sharing books, telling stories, singing songs and talking to one another.

It says that parents, grandparents, and teachers play a very important role in preparing young children for future school success and helping them become self-confident and motivated learners.

With new each book given to families by representatives of Maine Families York County, a discussion is held about the importance of literacy activities in early childhood.

Represenatives offer families activities that correspond with the books, talking about using local libraries and story times, and during each visit has a conversation with the parents about how often they use literacy activities with their baby or child with the hope that the book donation will increase these opportunities.

Maine Families is a statewide network of community teams serving the needs of pregnant women and parents with newborns.

The Maine Families Program understands that all parents want the best for their babies and are here to help make your job as a parent a little easier. Its caring and professional family visitor representatives can provide support for families and help plan for a healthy pregnancy, share tips to help your child learn and be healthy, listen to questions and concerns and help find resources that meet your needs, and connect individuals with other parents with new babies.  

It is based on the most current information and approach (evidence-based) that uses parents’ strengths to promote child development and the best possible parent-child relationship. Every visit is free and available in the comfort of your own home or wherever works best for individuals. 

For more information, contact Tracee Golet at 490-7852 or visit www.mainefamilies.org.

To learn more about SMHC and SMHC providers, visit www.smhc.org, https://www.youtube.com/c/smhcorgme, or https://twitter.com/SMHCHealth.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 ext. 326 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com.