MOUNT VERNON — Anahy Andrade knelt on the carpet next to her sister and two brothers.
At 11 years old, Anahy is the big sister of the group, but she wasn’t too grown up to color a bookmark shaped like a carrot with her younger siblings.
Her family speaks Spanish at home, Anahy said. Most of their children’s books were in English, and many of her peers don’t have any books at all. Therein lies a barrier to literacy for many low-income Latino families in Skagit County.
Anahy joined about a dozen children at a Reading Readiness for Twos program last week at the La Casa De San Jose apartments near Hoag Road.
The program helps parents, grandparents and children form bonds with books that last a lifetime, said early childhood education specialist Barbara Smith, who is administering the program.
Families receive books in Spanish and English to build their home libraries.
“Being literate is something that helps a child, not only in school, but for the rest of her life,” Smith said.
Even if a parent can’t read, the program still encourages parents to tell stories to their children, she said.
“We’re trying to bridge that gap for families that aren’t literate at all,” she said. “A tradition of oral stories is as important as reading.”
The sessions last about two hours, with teachers reading in Spanish to children and their parents or older siblings. Afterward, the story is read in English. The readings are expressive, and activities encourage children to think about the lesson.
Afterward, the children re-told the story themselves by using a felt board and movable cutout characters.
Ariana Santacruz, a teacher with the program, said some families are not always able to make it to the Reading Readiness sessions, so they make home visits to every family. Once there, they show the families how to apply for a library card to supplement their reading materials at home.
Throughout the summer, Reading Readiness for Twos has taught sessions at many sites, including Madison Elementary, Raspberry Ridge in Burlington and Washington Elementary, Santacruz said. The program is funded by the state’s Thrive by Five initiative.
“Some parents don’t miss any sessions, and they really like to have books in Spanish,” Santacruz said.
• Kate Martin can be reached at 360-416-2145 or at .
