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Primary Collaborators: Estes Valley Investment in Childhood Success (EVICS) Family Resource Center, Estes Park School District, Macdonald Book Shop, Rotary Club of Estes Park
This program will focus on the Hispanic Community but will be beneficial to the Estes Valley community in general.
EVICS staff have noticed that when Hispanics/Latinos migrate to the US without knowing how to speak the language nor write it, their children attend school and learn their new language (which is great, and EVICS is promoting that as well), yet it creates a gap in the family's communication and can lead to disconnect within the parent-child relationship. When the parent who does not speak English, speaks Spanish to their kids, the kids answer back in English. To support parent-child and overall family connection EVICS will come alongside the parents by creating bilingual story time kits. This promotes a family time of listening, reading, and doing a fun craft together as a family.
The entire community of Estes Park will benefit from this program through collaboration among several partners to promote and support access to the books and craft activities. The book titles are beneficial and appropriate for children infant through Second grade. The program specifically targets Kindergarten through Second Grade children with all Kindergarten students at the Estes Park Elementary School being read the book and given the accompanying activity kit to take home. Its goal is to support these families and create the habit to pause, read a book, do an activity together every month to support family bonding and communication.
Program Goal Outcomes:
o Family Connection
o Community Integration
o Increase literacy in our community
o Celebration of family culture
Program Format:
A book will be read in each Kindergarten class in Spanish and English. EVICS will prepare the bilingual story time kit with craft materials that go along with the book of the month and can be distributed at the school as well as being picked up at EVICS Family Resource Center to reach homeschool families or families with younger children.
One hundred (100) books and activity kits will be distributed each month, for five months, totaling 500 books and activity kits over the 5-month semester period.
Program Timeline: EVICS plans to start the 2024 program in January 2024, and it will run through May 2024.
The Rotary Club of Estes Park is seeking to provide financial support to the project by providing funds for the activity kits/backpacks. The funds will be used to purchase the books, craft supplies and various support materials. The total estimated cost for the Bilingual Story Time project (100 kits for 5 months) and support materials is $3,900.
Note: The Rotary Club of Estes Park supported the initial start of this program in 2021 with a District Grant (P-4146) and club member donations. In 2022 the Rotary Club of Estes Park supported the ongoing program with a Governor's Grant (P-4565) and club member donations.
The Rotary Club of Estes Park members will assist EVICS with publicity and assembly and distribution of activity kits as needed.
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