Paradise Valley Community College’s Festival of Tales is more than a family-friendly community event; it stands as a cornerstone in fostering early childhood literacy and shaping the future of young readers. As PVCC now offers bachelor’s degrees in Elementary and Special Education, this event highlights the college’s deep commitment to early childhood education and its powerful impact on lifelong learning. The festival brings to the life the joy and power of books, nurturing a love for reading that can impact a child’s educational success for years to come.
“Our mission here at PVCC is to serve the community in ways that have lasting impact,” said Dr. Jana Schwartz, PVCC President. “The Festival of Tales exemplifies that commitment by providing families with the tools and resources to cultivate a love of reading, which we know is key to academic and personal success.”
Early literacy, the development of reading and writing skills, begins at birth cultivated through positive, book-centered interactions between children and their caregivers. It encompasses language development, phonological awareness, vocabulary growth, and comprehension, laying the foundation for language development. PVCC’s Festival of Tales plays a vital role in supporting these crucial early years, offering families in the Greater Paradise Valley community an opportunity to access essential literacy resources, regardless of socioeconomic status.
For more than 30 years, educators, pediatricians, and policymakers alike have studied early literacy and discovered that while reading to infants and toddlers may seem premature, studies prove it plays a critical role in children’s emerging literacy skills.
“From an early age, children begin to absorb the rhythms and patterns of language, mimicking gestures, turning pages, and even “reading” pictures aloud,” explained Kari Barker, PVCC adjunct faculty in the Education and Social Science Division. “These actions represent key steps in a child's literacy development. Even before they can read, young children learn that pictures symbolize real-world objects, and this understanding eventually extends to print.”
Research shows that children who are regularly read to are twice as likely to recognize letters, understand words in context, and develop early word-sight recognition. These emerging literacy skills are influenced by the frequency of reading, access to books, and the quality of the reading experience.
Unfortunately, socioeconomic disparities have an immense impact on access to these experiences, with 62 percent of high-income parents reading to their children daily, compared to only 36 percent of low-income families, according to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study at the National Institute for Family Literacy. Events like PVCC’s Festival of Tales strive to bridge that gap by providing all families with the tools and resources to support their children’s literacy development.
The Festival of Tales offers families opportunities to nurture these vital early literacy experiences. With free book giveaways, storytime sessions, and interactive literacy activities, the event helps children develop foundational skills like understanding that print carries meaning, learning new vocabulary, and grasping the conventions of reading, such as how to navigate a book from front to back or left to right. Children who develop these strong early literacy skills are shown to be more likely to excel in school and beyond, developing critical cognitive, social, and emotional abilities.
Early Literacy Facts from Make Way for Books
- A child’s brain develops most rapidly during the first three years of life. By age five, 90 percent of brain growth has occurred.
- By age two, a child’s brain is as active as an adult’s, and by age three, it is twice as active.
- The more words a child hears in their first years, the larger their vocabulary will be, which is a key predictor of future school success.
- Reading, singing, and talking to children from birth boosts their language development and lays the foundation for learning to read.
- Achievement gaps between children in poverty and their more affluent peers become apparent by 18 months.
- When children start school behind, they rarely catch up.
- Children struggling to read by 4th grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.
Join Us at the Festival of Tales
This fun-filled event will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at PVCC’s Union Hills Campus in Phoenix. Bring your family to enjoy storytime, interactive literacy activities, and free books for children of all ages. Join us in fostering early literacy and creating lasting memories—don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to inspire young readers and support their educational journey!
For more information, visit https://www.paradisevalley.edu/academics/festival-tales and come support the next generation of readers.