A Creston Valley Teachers’ Association program has been recognized by the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy, with the association recently receiving the Community Literacy Award.
The fifth annual award went to the CVTA’s Books for Toddlers program, which got its start in the 1980s as Books for Babies, funded by teachers’ member fees. When a grant began covering the newborns’ books, the focus shifted to 18-month-old children.
“Kids get a book when they are born and when hey get their 18-month shot,” said Nancy DeVuono, a retired teacher and principal. “It provides that continuity.”
When it started, Books for Babies saw a hardcover book of nursery rhymes and songs included with other gifts to newborns at the Creston Valley Hospital. The brand new book presented to toddlers at the time of their immunizations includes a bookplate welcoming the child to the world of reading, as well as a brochure on parenting strategies to support early literacy development.
Previous winners were:
•English tutor Linda Price (2013)
•Former Creston Valley Public Library chief librarian Ann Day (2012)
•Vicky Koenig and Family Place (2011)
•Kootenay Employment Services (2010).