Turns a Page. Touch a Mind.® Celebrates School Readiness
June 9, 2016 – Lenexa, KS – The popular statewide early literacy program, Turn a Page. Touch a Mind.® (TAP-TAM) is promoting school readiness this month in the 83 participating practices throughout Kansas. TAP-TAM was created in 2004 by the Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (KAAP) after learning that kindergarten teachers in Kansas reported that as many as half of their students enter school without the literacy skills needed to learn to read. Through TAP-TAM medical providers hand out books to children 6 months to 5 years old at their well check appointments and encourage parents to share a book each day with their children to prepare them for school success. Books are provided by the Kansas Pediatric Foundation (KPF), charitable arm of (KAAP), and since 2004 participating physicians have distributed over 650,000 new, developmentally appropriate books to Kansas kids.
This month, KPF is partnering with Finding My Way Books to send out special “Ready to Read” boxes to each TAP-TAM site with a sample of Finding My Way books, posters, coloring sheets, and handouts for families to encourage them to read together to promote school readiness. The Finding My Way books offer an important message to all Kansas families about perseverance and celebrating differences, and KPF is delighted to have them sponsor the “Ready to Read” spotlight event. Finding My Way books were added as a preferred book vendor for TAP-TAM sites last fall, and TAP-TAM physicians have already started ordering books to share.
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The Kansas Pediatric Foundation, the charitable arm of the Kansas Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics has a mission to develop partnerships with individuals, foundations, and organizations who share our commitment for a healthy and meaningful life for our children and adolescents in Kansas.
Contacts:
Melissa Hudelson, Associate Director KPF– mel.hudelson[@]kansasaap.org (913) 940-8965
Jo Mach, Finding My Way Books – findingmywaybooks[@]gmail.com
