Junior, age 4, had not been exposed to books, and he would literally run away at reading time. Happily, CNNC’s Thriving at Three program changed Junior’s ideas about books. After regularly attending the program, Junior’s mother proudly reports at home, that he picks out his books every day and “reads, reads, reads!”
Thriving at Three (TAT) is a bilingual Spanish/English intervention and prevention program for parents and their preschool children. The program, led by CNNC staff member, Krycya Flores, incorporates music, art, books, culture, and play to help children get ready for school, ensuring that every child enters kindergarten with the skills to thrive and succeed. Many TAT parents say the Nurturing Parent class is a highlight of their week, and they look forward to meeting other parents and participating in hands-on workshops on nutrition, parenting, and child development.
Thriving at Three not only teaches school readiness to at-risk Latino families but also helps program participants, like Junior’s family, build home libraries. The presence of books in the home is highly correlated with children’s academic achievement and future success. The book-give-away initiative gives families the opportunity to build an age-appropriate home library collection by the end of the school year.
On September 28th, program participants enjoyed the TAT Fall Kick-Off at the Central Library, where they met the student interns that bring TAT to life. CNNC extends a HUGE thank-you to the Library staff for their support. Mr. Pete, Youth Services Librarian, who delighted the families with his guitar, and Beth Bowles, the Latino Outreach Librarian, provided gracious, warm hospitality and visited with the children, parents, and CNNC staff.
CNNC also thanks the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant for providing meeting space for the weekly Nurturing Parent class. Thanks to our volunteers and our wonderful supporters, Thriving at Three is looking forward to another great year.
Want to get involved with TAT? TAT is seeking books for readers from birth to kindergarten for the book-give away initiative as well as volunteers. Contact Krycya at 336-561-1064 for more information.
We thank the United Way of Greater Greensboro for funding this vital program.