Entry 3

This week was the second week of an eight-week program called "Milk and Muffins."  The program was developed by UCF's Early Childhood B.S. Program and is supported by the City of Orlando's Parramore Kidz Zone, Early Learning Coalition of Orange County, Head Start of Orange County and Orange County Public Schools. Each Saturday, students enrolled in a section of a required Early Language and Literacy course have their class at the J.B. Callahan Neighborhood Center in the Parrramore Community.
Beginning last week, a portion of each class session has children and parents coming to the Callahan Center for the UCF students to work with the children. While the children are engaged in language and literacy activities, the parents participate in a parent education class on how to support children's school readiness and continued success in school.  WE then end each week with a large Circle Time (parents, children, and the UCF students), including songs, a read aloud, and an "I Love You Ritual."

Yesterday, I had the privilege of teaching the parents--the topic was "Reading Aloud to Your Child." We began with a discussion about how frequently each parent reads to their child and how to choose books for your child.  One parent  of color expressed frustration at the lack of books depicting children and families of color, unless it is about a specific topic--Rosa Parks, Black History, etc.  This parent also said her five-year old does not enjoy books and she wondered--as did I--whether some of this was due to her child not being able to connect with the book's characters. The other parents echoed this frustration; and confirmed that this was true not just for African Americans, but also Latinos.

In this course we focus on preparing teachers and practicing teachers, but this discussion reminded me that the lack of attention to diversity and cultures is much greater than our schools.  So, this committed group of parents has agreed to look for one-two books which represent their own families and bring the titles and/or books to class next Saturday. We will take this list and prepare it to be sent to those who have positions to impact our early childhood and elementary classroom libraries.

It's a start... and I think these parents felt both respected and empowered to stand up for their children in a way which addresses the concern and a suggests a beginning solution!  At the end of the program this week, one parent said, "I did not know what to expect in 'Milk and Muffins.'  I only came because my child's teacher told me it would be good for her. This was so much fun!"