Born to Read provides valuable early literacy experiences for children birth through age five through programs for the professionals who provide their care. Born to Read’s goal has always been to ensure that Maine children five and under are read to daily by a caring adult. To that end, Born to Read holds training sessions, seminars, and conferences for early childhood educators, volunteer readers in child care programs, and others who work closely with young children. Born to Read’s programs put great emphasis on preparing children not just for school, but for lifelong learning.
South Portland
Lisa Nadeau describes Tall Pines Family Child Care, the program she runs out of her home for children up to four years old, as “very small and homey.” The many windows are full of light, and welcoming stuffed animals, toys, and books are everywhere. Lisa has participated in Born to Read trainings since 2005. She has always seen Tall Pines as a literacy-based program where stories can be valuable jumping-off points for discussion and teaching. This makes her a natural for Born to Read because using books to stimulate conversation is one of the program’s chief goals. And using books to start conversations is no problem for Lisa. “My kids love books.”
In 2007, Lisa attended “Children and Conflict in a Changing World,” one of Born to Read’s Peaceable Stories seminars. Peaceable Stories encourages early childhood educators to use books to help children understand the many meanings of peace in their lives and in today’s world. Lisa found the facilitators and discussions fascinating, and especially enjoyed learning from Maine author and illustrator Lisa Jahn-Clough about how a book is created from initial idea to finished product. Hearing how other educators work with children in different child care settings was also of interest to Lisa, who runs Tall Pines by herself. Born to Read trainings offer a rare opportunity for educators to discuss child care issues with colleagues.
Lisa also found the seminar’s read-aloud sessions inspirational. “It was so comforting, so pleasant to be read to,” Lisa said with a small laugh. “It was really one of the great aspects of the class. We could just drop everything and let those words come on us.” Being read to, and shown pictures, helped Lisa experience the twelve books distributed as part of the series from a child’s perspective before reacting as an adult. She appreciated the variety of books, especially the unique approach of the “twisted fairy tale” The Three Little Wolves and the Big, Bad Pig. “The books present the types of conflicts kids have and share examples of ways to resolve them—but without being right in your face.”
In the big picture, the books helped Lisa, whose home child care program is licensed for just six children, think about diversity on a larger scale. “These trainings have given me an awareness of diversity—and I mean both how it appears in children’s literature and also how, in our classrooms, we can open kids to understanding. Born to Read reminded me that even with our small classrooms, the way the world is now makes it important to teach about diversity.”
Born to Read is offered with support from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust, Frances R. Dewing Foundation, Female Samaritan Association, Maine Office of Child Care & Head Start, Mainestream Fund at the Maine Community Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Frances Hollis Brain Foundation, Hudson Foundation, Helen & George Ladd Charitable Corp., Morton-Kelly Foundation, Orchard Foundation, Rines/Thompson Fund at the Maine Community Foundation, Simmons Foundation, Target Charitable Foundation, and TD Banknorth Foundation.
In 2007, Borders, Inc. contacted the MHC with an offer to promote Born to Read with a book drive in its three Maine stores. Staff at Borders stores in South Portland, Brunswick, and Bangor explained what Born to Read does and encouraged customers to add a children’s book like The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf to their purchases. Thanks to this generous effort, and to the enthusiasm of Borders staff, Born to Read received 3,220 books for its Peaceable Stories initiative, as well as a $1,837 gift from Borders in support of the program!
