It has been a busy month for our early learning initiatives! Your support is actively helping our youngest citizens have the best start in life.
Our Born Learning initiative has formed a new relationship that will catch the attention of coffee lovers. We are excited our local Starbucks stores are also passionate about children's literacy! This month at the four stand-alone stores Starbucks team members are organizing an in-store book drive! Keep an eye out for the collection receptacles and contribute a new or gently-loved book appropriate for tiny learners under 5. They will go to local children in need of a good book to call their own!
And if you visit any of these four Starbucks locations you will notice our new Born Learning posters! These irresistible posters encourage families to read aloud with their children to develop brain and language skills and build strong, loving bonds. As you know, reading aloud with your children is one the most important things you can do to prepare them for reading and learning in school.
In other early learning news, our commitment to early learning opportunities was recently recognized by the South Central Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children (SCIAEYC). As a thank you for our service, we received a children's book titled "Journey" that beautifully captured our belief that early education is a lifelong journey that begins at home.
Barry Lessow reported after the ceremony, "We are very grateful for this award, particularly because it comes from others in the community who are just as dedicated to ensuring each child has the best opportunity to be healthy, happy, and ready to succeed in school and in life." Thank you, SCIAEYC!
In mid-February, community members were invited to join us for breakfast and a unique opportunity to learn more about how public policy impacts early education. We hosted a live stream from the Economics of Early Education Summit in Indianapolis of the 30-minute documentary, "Are We Crazy About Our Kids?" followed by a keynote address by economist Dr. Robert H. Dugger. Attendees live tweeted questions to Dr. Dugger and heard him answer questions from communities across the state. Dr. Dugger reminded us about the importance to our economy and community of adequately investing in early childhood.
Our Real Men Read program wrapped up its first year in Spencer Owen Community Schools (SOCS) in early February with great success! Over 1,000 books were distributed to SOCS kindergarteners. Our volunteers, nicknamed MENtors, exclaimed that their favorite part of the program was how excited the children were to be read to and to receive their very own books. Many of the MENtors have expressed interest in volunteering again next fall! Like the MENtors, we are eager to bring this program back for next year's kindergarteners and are looking forward to meeting community partners who share the vision of every child reading and succeeding in school! Real Men Read is made possible through generous funding from Duke Energy Foundation.