RICHLAND, Wash. Goodwill Industries staff and board members will present 20 ‘First Teacher Libraries’ to undergraduate education students at Washington State University Tri-Cities at 12 p.m. Tuesday, April 26.
The presentation will take place during the College of Education’s Early Literacy class held in the West Building, Room 131, at WSU Tri-Cities, 2710 Crimson Way, Richland. Each student will receive approximately 50 new and 50 used children’s books targeted towards students in elementary classrooms. The class, T&L 321, is taught by Jennifer Johnson, a former second-grade teacher who earned her master’s in education with an emphasis in literacy education from WSU Pullman.
New teacher stipends
New teachers receive a small stipend to help in setting up their classroom but are largely responsible for purchasing books and supplies to begin their teaching careers.
Goodwill Industries invested $20,000 to ensure that all first-year teachers in Benton and Franklin counties serving children in kindergarten to third grade will receive a First Teacher Library in the fall. Due to the mission and focus of Goodwill Industries, additional libraries will be made available to teachers in special needs classrooms.
“This initiative supports Goodwill’s mission of education as part of the overall strategy to help people develop reading skills that will help them succeed in life” said Scott Shinsato, associative executive director of Goodwill Industries. “Early Literacy is a key way to support our mission of helping individuals achieve their highest level of employment.”
20 minutes a day from birth
The mission of The Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia is to ensure that every child is read with at least 20 minutes a day from birth and provide resources, information, and training so that children grow up in a literacy rich environment. The Children’s Reading Foundation administers the READY! For Kindergarten, Team Read, and Our Babies Can’t Wait Parent Workshops in Benton and Franklin Counties. Find more information go to the The Children’s Reading Foundation website.