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Colorado Early Literacy Tour

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Woman with mouse mess book

Two girls with Mouse Mess books
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2017 Colorado Early Literacy Tour

Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne, Colorado Education Commissioner Dr. Katy Anthes, and Colorado Department of Human Services Executive Director Reggie Bicha will travel to various communities across Colorado to build excitement about reading and to spread the message that early literacy efforts are crucial in the classroom and at home.

Colorado Early Literacy tour is a joint effort between ServeColorado, Colorado State Libraries, Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Department of Human Services, Early Childhood Leadership Commission, One Book 4 Colorado and a variety of corporate and community partners.

 

Friday, Sept. 29, 2017: Brighton and Boulder

8:45 a.m. - Dr. Katy Anthes will kick-off the literacy tour at Northeast Elementary School where she will tour the school and read to various classrooms. Children will receive a copy of the One Book 4 Colorado book Mouse Mess, by Linnea Riley. Location: Northeast Elementary School, 1605 Longs Peak St., Brighton.

9:30 a.m. - Dr. Katy Anthes will visit the Brighton Anythink Library and tour the facility. Location: Anythink Brighton Library, 327 E. Bridge St., Brighton.

10:30 a.m. - Dr. Katy Anthes will read to a group of children at McDonald's alongside the Colorado Rockies mascot Dinger. Children will receive a copy of the One Book 4 Colorado book Mouse Mess, by Linnea Riley. Location: McDonald's, 1800 28th St.

12:15 p.m. - Dr. Katy Anthes will visit the Mapleton Early Childhood Center and read to various classrooms. Children will receive a copy of the One Book 4 Colorado book Mouse Mess, by Linnea Riley. Location: Mapleton Early Childhood Center, 840 Mapleton Ave., Boulder.

 

Monday, Oct. 2, 2017: Wheat Ridge and Colorado Springs

11:00 a.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will read Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley to a group of children and each child will receive a copy of the One Book 4 Colorado book. This event is in partnership with McDonald's. Location: McDonald's, 3902 Wadsworth Blvd., Wheat Ridge.

1:30 p.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will tour the Sand Creek Library and read Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley to a group of children. Each child will receive a copy of the book. Location: Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd., Colorado Springs.

2:15 p.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will tour the Young Scholars Academy. She will read Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley to a group of children. Each child will receive a copy of the book. Afterward, Lt. Gov. Lynne will meet with early childhood educators and leaders to discuss the importance of the early childhood workforce to the state. Location: Young Scholars Academy, 5815 Tutt Center Point, Colorado Springs.

 

A third day day is being planned with Executive Director Reggie Bicha on October 11th.

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Boy with Giraffes Cant Dance book
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Literacy Week 2016

September 26th - 30th

Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne will lead a week-long tour across Colorado to build excitement about reading and to spread the message that early literacy efforts are crucial in the classroom and at home.

 

Colorado Literacy week is a joint effort between SERVE Colorado, Colorado State Libraries, Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Department of Human Services - Early Childhood Leadership Commission, Colorado Department of Agriculture, One Book 4 Colorado and a variety of corporate and community partners.

 

Monday, Sep. 26, 2016

4:00 p.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will kick-off literacy week at an open-to-the-public multi-cultural literary event at Pueblo Community College, which will include performances by Grupo Xochitl Aztec Dancers, Okolitza Tamburitzans and Grupo Folklorico del Pueblo. Children will receive a copy of the One Book 4 Colorado book Giraffes Can't Dance, by Giles Andreae.

Location: Pueblo Community College, Fortino Ballroom, 900 W. Orman Ave., Pueblo.

 

5:15 p.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will tour the Pueblo City-County Library.

Location: Pueblo City-County Library District, 100 E. Abriendo Ave., Pueblo.

 

Tuesday, Sep. 27, 2016

10:00 a.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will read Giraffes Can't Dance to students, as well as host a roundtable on the challenges of early childhood education in rural areas.

Location: Columbian Early Childhood Center, 800 Grace Avenue, La Junta.

 

11:40 a.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will read Giraffes Can't Dance to a group of students at the local McDonalds.

Location: McDonald's, 27680 U.S. 50, La Junta.

 

3:20 p.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will tour the Welcome Home Child and Family Development Center and then read Giraffe's Can't Dance to a class of children.

Location: The Welcome Home Child and Family Development Center 607 Savage Avenue, Lamar.

 

Wednesday, Sep. 28, 2016

7:30 a.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne, in partnership with the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, will host a roundtable discussion about ways businesses can support early childhood literacy initiatives.

Location: McDonald's, 440 S. Lincoln St., Burlington.

 

9:00 a.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will tour the Burlington Library and read Giraffes Can't Dance to a group of children.

Location: Burlington Library, 321 14th St., Burlington.

 

Thursday, Sep. 29, 2016

10:30 a.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will visit the Bud Werner Library and read Giraffes Can't Dance to a group of children during their "Yoga Storytime".

Location: Bud Werner Library, 1289 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs.

 

11:45 a.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne, in collaboration with the local McDonald's and Boys and Girls Club, will read Giraffe's Can't Dance to children.

Location: Boys and Girls Club, 325 7th St., Steamboat Springs.

 

Friday, Sep. 30, 2016

Noon - Lt. Gov. Lynne will visit with students at Clayton Elementary School, an Early Literacy Grant School, and read Giraffes Can't Dance to a class of students.

Location: Clayton School, 4600 S. Fox St., Englewood.

 

2:00 p.m. - Lt. Gov. Lynne will tour the Children's Museum of Denver and listen to a presentation about partnerships and collaborations supporting early literacy.

Location: The Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, 2121 Children's Museum Drive, Denver.

 

Literacy Week 2015 : September 28th - October 5th

Lt. Governor Joe Garcia led the annual week-long tour across Colorado, visiting small and large communities alike, to build excitement about reading and to spread the message that literacy efforts are crucial in the classroom and at home. The Lt. Governor visited schools, libraries, and community centers across the State to learn about best practices in the world of literacy and areas in need of help. The tour highlighted communities doing amazing work to instill a love of reading in kids and empower parents to keep the mission going at home.

Literacy Week is a collaborative effort of Serve Colorado, Colorado State Libraries, Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Department of Human Services, One Book 4 Colorado, and a variety of corporate and community partners.

For full coverage of the events of Literacy Week, please browse through Serve Colorado's Facebook Album.

Highlights from Literacy Week 2015 include:

Towoac:

Preschool students from a Head Start in Towoac were so excited to each get their own copy of the One Book 4 Colorado title, "How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon," they hugged their books and jumped up and down with them. Local press reported on the reading and the community conversation that followed where the Lt. Governor learned about issues facing the library and community.

 

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Student holding Dinosaur book

Students holding books
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Summit County:

Students being read to

A highlight for many of those involved was the visit to the Family and Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC)of Summit County. FIRC works to empower families in their community by offering parenting classes, home visitation, a food bank, budgeting classes, foreclosure counseling, and emergency assistance.

This event was particularly memorable as the Lt. Governor was involved in several facets of FIRC's programming. Lt. Governor Garcia and his Deputy Chief of Staff, Antonio Mendez, started by reading "How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon" to the families present for bilingual story hour. We learned that a sneeze in English and Spanish sound the same.

The Lt. Governor then participated in a bilingual Exploring Food Together class, where families learned how to make banana bread. The goal of these classes are to teach children about healthy eating, including where food comes from, why healthy food is important, and to introduce them to trying different foods, including fruits and vegetables.

Students making banana bread

The final portion of the event was a presentation from the Principal of Summit Middle School and local parents who highlighted the work of the Conexiones program at the school. Conexiones is a low cost and high results program where the school Principal and a translator from FIRC participate in home visits with families to better engage parents in their child's academic life. They work on goal setting and go over things like learning to use the school district's online grade system or joining a school committee. Through this program, they have seen significantly increased parent engagement, impressive test score jumps, and a reduction in office referrals for behavioral issues.

 

 

 

Dolores:

Students being read to

Lt. Governor Garcia had the pleasure of touring the Teddy Bear Preschool in Dolores, CO, which recently earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). With the Superintendent of the District present, the Lt. Governor read "How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon" to a packed room. His over-the-top wailing as a sick dinosaur got a big laugh from preschoolers and adults alike. The school implemented a number of innovative practices, which is what earned them the prestigious NAEYC accreditation, something only 3% of centers nationwide have achieved.

 

 

Ft. Collins:

Reading to students
Adults in a classroom

When the Lt. Governor asked a class full of first grade students at the Irish Elementary school in Ft. Collins "who likes reading?" every child's hand shot into the air. During the visit, students enjoyed one-on-one reading time and received their first Book Trust book of the school year. Book Trust is empowering children from low-income families to choose and own books, inspiring a passion for reading and cultivating increased literacy skills. This organization has had a significant impact at Irish Elementary, learn more atwww.booktrust.org.

Staff members chatting

At The Matthews House, the Lt. Governor\'s staff members handed out copies of" How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon" to a class of English as second language learners. The Matthews House is a community-building organization in Ft. Collins that empowers young adults and families in transition to develop the skills and knowledge to move into and maintain an independent living situation. Most of the women in this class were mothers. One mother from Egypt remarked how hard it has been for her to keep up with how quickly her son is learning English. She was excited to read this book with him and her teacher remarked what a great opportunity it will be for them to practice their English together. Another student from Libya was excited to read this book with her six children, and was overjoyed to receive multiple copies so all her kids could read at the same time. The Lt. Governor later met with local Ft. Collins leaders and the many community partners that The Matthews House works with to increase their impact.

Denver:

Kids walking into class

On the last day of Literacy Week 2015, Lt. Governor Joe Garcia had the opportunity to greet the energetic students of Denver's Cole Arts & Science Academy. The school was highlighted for its innovation and results in Colorado Succeeds, The Colorado READ Act Report. Perfectly demonstrating the spirit of Cole Arts & Science Academy, the report notes that Principal Jen Jackson has been inspired by a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote that says, "This is a revolution. There is no retreat in a revolution." The "revolution" at Cole is achieving 100% literacy success with their students. Jackson purchased t-shirts for her staff that read "Revolutionary" to keep them inspired and remind them of their shared mission.

 

 

 

 

Serve Colorado would like to express our most sincere thanks for all of those who contributed to making this another great Literacy Week. This initiative is only possible because of the collaborative efforts of the Colorado Department of Education, One Book 4 Colorado, Colorado Department of Human Services, Colorado State Libraries and our other corporate and community partners. Thank you.

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