Wednesday, April 29

6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Urban League of Greater Madison
2222 South Park Street Madison, WI 53713

Come learn about the importance of early literacy experiences in closing the achievement gap … and how you can get involved!

Presentation (6:30 – 7:30)
Dipesh Navsaria, M.P.H, M.S.L.I.S., M.D. – “BOOKS BUILD BETTER BRAINS”
Dr. Navsaria is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the U.W.-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health and the Founding Medical Director of “Reach Out and Read Wisconsin.” In his talk, he will take us on an expansive journey through neuroscience, poverty, education, public policy, and the emerging literacy of very young children.

Catherine Compton-Lilly, Ph.D. – “FAMILY LITERACY: BEYOND STORYBOOKS”
Professor Compton-Lilly is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the U.W.- Madison School of Education. In her talk, she will explore a wide range of family literacy practices – more than just bedtime stories – that engage young children and provide them with opportunities to grow as novice readers and writers.

Networking and refreshments (7:30 – 8:30)
Representatives from the following local early literacy initiatives will be present to distribute literature and answer questions about their programs:

Reach Out and Read Wisconsin Wisconsin Bookworms

Schools of Hope

Born Learning: Parent-Child Home Program Play and Learn

Read Up!

Please consider bringing one or more new children’s books to the event. The books will be distributed among the several participating early literacy programs.

This event is sponsored by the Harvard Club of Wisconsin as part of the Harvard Alumni Association Global Month of Service.
The event is free and open to the public.

PDF Announcement.

Related: Madison’s long term, disastrous reading results.