Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Town Councilwoman Viviana Russell, in collaboration with the regional non-profit organization Early Years Institute, recently unveiled a “Children’s Reading Corner” at the North Hempstead ‘Yes We Can’ Community Center.
The corner, outfitted with a child-sized couch, armchair and three free-standing bookshelves stocked with a wide range of children’s books, was officially opened to the public June 27“With rising concern that our children are spending far too much time on screens, this reading corner is a great investment in our youth to help foster the invaluable habit of reading while building the literacy skills of all the young visitors,” Kaiman said.
Thanks to a grant from the Nassau Bar Association WE CARE FUND, book donation from Lectorum Publications, Inc. and other publishers and EYI’s Director of Early Learning Colleen Multari and Coordinator of Community Assets Johanna Rotta for leading this effort, the families and children in the school district can enjoy time together reading and learning. The books in the Reading Corner are available in English, Spanish and Creole and include picture books for the youngest children.
In addition to Early Years Institute staffers, the unveiling was also attended by Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) as well as staff from North Hempstead’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
“The ‘Yes We Can’ Community Center has become a significant resource for the children of our community, and we are so happy to help provide them even further with the skills they need to succeed,” Russell said. The impetus for the Reading Corner was found in data from using the Early Development Instrument, a nationally-recognized measurement of school readiness that was executed in the Westbury School District in 2010.
