My Father's Books
Classes Get Families, Children Reading
By Alicia Wotring, Daily News-Record. November 21, 2006
NEW MARKET —Sean Prunka, 35, of New Market has always believed that reading to his children is important.
That’s one reason the father of four and his wife Denise take their children to Reading, Rhyming, and Readiness classes in New Market.
The classes, for children ages 3-5, focus on readying children for school while also involving the child’s family in literacy.
Reading
"I was extremely impressed," said Joanne Thompson, of New Market. "I believe what the program stands for — getting the whole family involved in literacy."
Thompson brought her daughter to Reading, Rhyming, and Readiness for two years, and thought so highly of the program that she came back to volunteer, she said. She now oversees coordinating the program’s three locations — New Market, Mount Jackson and Woodstock.
The program, which meets once a week for two hours, is for children and their parents. Children read, sing and have free playtime. The program also affords a networking opportunity for parents, Thompson says.
But one of the things that sets the program apart, says Becky Kipps, who teaches the New Market class, is that the teachers make home visits. The teacher will take a book or activity when she visits the child’s home, and the entire family participates.
"It gives you insight into the child to see their home turf," Thompson said. "It’s very relaxed."
And for children who may be shy in class, Thompson says, it gives the teacher a chance to work with the child one-on-one and further assess his or her abilities.
Reading, Rhyming, and Readiness is free to families, funded primarily through United Way, and it is the only program of its kind in Augusta County, Thompson said.
Readiness
While the program is focused on literacy, there is also an emphasis on getting children ready for school.
"Sometimes you have a child not used to being in a classroom environment, like sitting and listening, and by the end of the year, they’re pros," Thompson said.
The focus on transitioning children is one of the things that Prunka said he appreciates about the program.
Prunka’s oldest daughter, Brianna, 8, attended a full-day pre-kindergarten program.
"That was good for her, but there was no transitional period," he said.
At Reading, Rhyming, and Readiness, only two hours is spent in class, and a parent is present.
Prunka and his wife Denise have taken their other three children — Erik, 6; Katerina, 4, and Torianna, almost 2 — to the program.
Not only does the program help children get ready for the classroom, but it also helps teachers prepare for the students, Thompson says.
Reading, Rhyming, and Readiness teachers often speak to the child’s kindergarten teacher to give them some background, Thompson said.
Evaluations of the students are done when they start Reading, Rhyming, and Readiness and again when they leave.
Program officials may even be able to take the children on tours of the schools they will be attending, something Thompson says she is working on now.
The program also helps Hispanic children transition, Thompson said.
Of the 45 children in the program, about 40 to 50 percent are Hispanic, Thompson said. To help the students prepare, teachers read in both English and Spanish to help familiarize those students with the language they will be speaking in school.
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