Singer Reba McEntire Teams with Reading Rockets
By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 7/30/2008
Country singer Reba McEntire is teaming up with PBS’s Reading Rockets to host a new show about how to make the most of the years before a child starts school.
“Toddling Toward Reading” is the newest episode of the Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers series, which looks at how educators can help families get toddlers on the road to reading.
Hosted by McEntire, the episode visits with teachers, parents, and doctors across the country who are helping preschoolers get ready to read. It will focuses on the Reach Out and Read national health initiative, which incorporates literacy development into well-baby pediatric visits; a child-parent center in Illinois that helps at-risk parents learn how to support their children's reading; a preschool in Georgia that has found success in including children with developmental disabilities into regular classrooms; and a preschool in Texas that illustrates the power of a rigorous curriculum run by a master teacher.
“Research shows that what children know before they enter school is a highly accurate predictor of future success,” says ReadingRockets.org executive director Noel Gunther. “Our new show illustrates the value of early language development, reading at home and a strong preschool program to get children off to the best possible start.”
“Toddling Toward Reading” will air on PBS stations beginning in September (check local listings) and will also be available for online viewing on the Reading Rockets Web site.
The show is the tenth program in the Reading Rockets series, an award-winning series of innovative half-hour programs about how children learn to read, why so many struggle, and what parents and teachers can do to help.
“Babies start learning from the first day of life,” says Christian Lindstrom, the show’s executive producer. “We hope this show helps parents and teachers understand that helping preschoolers develop language skills — by reading, singing or just talking with them — can give children a good start to a great reading future.”
