Dads & Kids Book Club encourages reading at home

Date: 11/13/2014

SPRINGFIELD – As children from a Springfield Headstart on Eastern Avenue pulled new books out of backpacks presented to them at City Hall on Nov. 7, they were asked to make a promise.

Each child agreed to take the books home and ask their father or other significant male figure to help them read.

The book presentation was part of the kickoff of the Dads & Kids Book Club, a program presented by the Greater Springfield Dads Make a Difference Committee and the Springfield City Library that encourages men helping in the raising of children to take time to be a part of the learning experience.

“The Springfield City Library is always reaching out to see who is aligned with the areas we are working on and one of the things we really think is helping is improving early literacy, which just means children coming to school ready to learn to read and write,” Jean Canosa Albano, manager of Public Services for the Springfield Libraries, said.

“We do that by offering lots of opportunities and resources to encourage families to read together,” she added.

The Dads & Kids Book Club hosted its first meeting Nov. 10 and will continue with monthly meetings at the Mason Square Branch Library.

“It’s for fathers and father figures and preschool children ages 2.9 to 5 years old. We will be focusing on some great read-alouds, sharing some books with you, having some activities through the Dads Make a Difference Committee, there will be volunteers there with some snacks,” Canosa Albano explained.

Springfield City Councilor Bud Williams, a member of the Greater Springfield Dads Make a Difference Committee, stressed the importance of fostering an appreciation for reading at a young age and the vital role men and fathers play in that development in children.

“Reading is so important,” he said. “I always say that education starts at home; it doesn’t start in the schools, it doesn’t start in the preschools, it doesn’t start any place else. We should start encouraging reading activities there.”

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, who declared Nov. 7 Dads Make a Difference Day for the city of Springfield, credited Canosa Albano and Williams for putting together the program. “This has really been their brainstorm,” he said.

He went on to say there were two major factors that would help the city of Springfield improve the safety and prosperity of its residents. “The first, numero uno, is education and 1A is jobs,” he said. “And how do you get educated? Through literacy, reading.”

Canosa Albano added that while helping kids learn to read is the primary goal, the reading group can also present an outlet and resource for men.

“There’s some time for the dads in attendance to network with each other and share stories about trials they are going through and share ideas about how those might work out and talk about books they really liked reading with their children last week, so maybe they can give some book recommendations for each other,” she said. “We do have a book list for you that we have put together with books we think you will love reading to your children.”

Committee member Raymond Akers told the children in attendance, “You are our future,” and noted to fathers that they had a responsibility to not only foster literacy in their own children, but to spread the message to other fathers or would-be fathers.

“All the fathers, pass it on to any young fathers you know out there,” he said. “The most important thing is to be in a child’s life and to teach them.”

For more information on the Dads & Kids Book Club, contact the Mason Square Branch Library at 263-6853.