2019 marks First 5 Ventura County’s 20th Anniversary of helping young children and families in our local community. On Friday, On May 3 at 10 a.m., more than 55 celebrity readers will be reading to young children throughout Ventura County to kick off the fourth annual Take 5 and Read to Kids campaign, a partnership between the Ventura County Star and First 5 Ventura County to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood literacy.
“We know that the first five years of life lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning. For young children, early exposure to books – including being read aloud to each day – is critical for long-term academic success,” said First 5 Ventura County Executive Director Petra Puls. “Reading aloud, telling stories, and singing actually build the pathways in the brain that will later be used to learn letters and to read and think critically,” Puls adds.
First 5 encourages parents and caregivers to talk, read, and sing with young children ages 0-5 to support their early language and literacy development. Studies have proven that when you talk, read and sing to children from birth on, you promote and support early language and literacy development. 90% of a child’s brain is developed by age 5, and children are affected by experiences from early on, even before birth.
In Ventura it will be held at the Ventura Police Department, 1425 Dowell Drive.
