The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential is partnering with Berrien RESA on a new project to promote awareness of child literacy development.
The project is using a survey to learn about families’ habits ... things like how often they read to their kids.
Karen Heath is the communications director with Berrien RESA, she’s working with the survey. She says the effort is also structured to provide families with information on resources that are available in their communities.
“Well, I think awareness is key, and you don't know it's available unless you're informed. hopefully others will be able to understand all the fantastic programs that are available in their communities.”
Heath says the survey is also going to be used to learn about barriers that families face in literacy development.
“Is it a language barrier? Is it, you know, transportation? Are there activities that don't coincide with their schedule? So it's really trying to understand the recipients needs so we can make literacy opportunities as accessible as possible.”
The project is inviting families with kids between the ages of 0-12 years to complete a survey. It’s available in Arabic, Spanish and English. Submissions are open through November 14th.