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NY State Director Andre Eaton Attends NY Book Forum Panel A Lapse In Literacy: How We Fight Back
September 20, 2023
New York Book Forum held a discussion at Scholastic Inc. featuring Andre Eaton, New York State Director, ParentChild +; Jill Hardy Heath, President and CEO, Heart of America; and Tami Mount, M. Ed., Senior Director, WETA / Reading Universe. The conversation was moderated by Deimosa Webber-Bey, Director, Information Services & Cultural Insight, Scholastic Inc.
The conversation focused on reading as a continuum, the reading environment, and having respect for culture. Eaton defined literacy and ParentChild+’s work, affirming that “when I talk about literacy, I’m not just talking about reading. Literacy is much more than that. It’s how you communicate, it’s how you speak, it’s social emotional development, it’s play, it’s cognitive development. That’s what we’re bringing.”
Eaton also reflected on the cultural and linguistic match ParentChild+ makes between their home visiting Early Learning Specialists and their families and communities. This match is connected to the importance of diverse and culturally relevant reading materials, which are affirmed by recent findings discussed from First Book’s report The Impact of a Diverse Classroom Library.
As part of their remarks, Eaton and Hardy Heath—who both represent the Diverse Books for All Coalition—shared the Coalition’s Commitment to Action, first announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2023 meeting on September 19. You can read more here.
You can listen to the program on New York Book Forum’s YouTube channel here.
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