WKU Literacy Ambassadors give books to young kids in the community

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The literacy ambassadors at Western Kentucky University gathered at the child care center to set the tone for children 4 and under by distributing books to kids before they enter school.

Amy Hood Waddle, director at the WKU Campus Child Care, says, “We all know that reading early, even from the day a child is born, is so important to helping children’s brains develop. You know, the whole development of the brain is so critical during these first five years.”

We read every day. Researchers say there’s a million-word gap that shows up later on, and this can put them behind their peers.

Gabbie Houchens- Granados, a grant recipient, tells us, “That the difference being a student, that hat is read to multiple times a day, and a student that is not read to at all is a million word gap. By the time they start kindergarten, if they get read to once a day, that’s 256,000 words more by kindergarten.”

The ambassadors and the teachers are strengthening the foundation for these young kids by introducing them to books that are selected specifically for them.

Houchens- Granados also tells us, “So we are active agents in their learning, and that relationship I get to build with them, even in one distribution day, is so impactful.

The impact can set the students up for success beyond the classroom.