Joy Williams 
On Tuesday, January 29th, the ILKIS team presented to a group of students visiting East Carolina University from Shaanxi Normal University in China. The presentation introduced the 16 students to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, data about children aged 0-5 in Pitt County, and early literacy concepts. Dr. Swaggerty and Dr. Atkinson also discussed the Early … Read more
The Home Reading Helper is a tool designed by Read Charlotte, a community-wide effort in Charlotte, NC to improve child literacy by 2025. The Home Reading Helper was developed to provide several age-appropriate resources to help you read and write with your child at home. There are tools for children in Pre-Kindergarten all the way to 3rd grade, with a variety … Read more
We hope your child received “Chimpanzees for Tea!” by Jo Empson in the mail this month! In this story, Vincent’s mom sends him to the store to pick up a few items before having tea. The list sounds easy enough, but there are distractions all along the way to the store, causing problems with Vincent’s … Read more
Did your child receive “Excellent Ed” by Stacy McAnulty from Imagination Library this month? In this story, everyone in the family is excellent at something – except Ed. Ed starts to worry. What if he is not excellent enough to be a part of the family? This funny tale will reassure kids that everyone is … Read more
Did your child receive “Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt del la Peña this month? In this story, a boy and his grandma ride the bus across town every Sunday after church. The boy wonders why they do not have a car like his friend Colby or and iPod like his friend at school. … Read more
Active reading means reading a book with your child, instead of reading to your child. In active reading, you and your child engage with the contents of the book and go beyond simply reading the words on the pages. Active reading works for children aged 6 months to 6th grade. It can be done anywhere – try active reading while riding the bus, during snack time, or before bed! ASK QUESTIONS: While reading, ask your child questions that start a conversation about the book. Try asking questions that start with what, who, how, and why. Look for answers … Read more