Ready to Read

I am the coordinator of the Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (W.I.C.) at the Family Health Center in Kalamazoo. As a Ready to Read program site, we give gift books to families with children from birth to five years of age and encourage parents to read aloud. Earlier this week I had an opportunity to model for a mother, the power of a book. I was working in my office and heard a child whining in the next room.  I went to see if I could help. I asked the 3 year old, who was squirming in his mother’s lap, if he wanted to read a book with me, and he said yes.  I went to retrieve an oversized copy of “The Snowy Day” and I began to read the story aloud to him.  The boy was intrigued by the pictures of the snow and fascinated by the fact that he could not see the boy’s feet because they were covered by snow.  We continued a wonderful conversation about the story.  Before they left the office, the child’s mother told me that she was amazed by the amount of time that this book held his interest!

Irene Allgaier, MA RD
WIC Coordinator, Family Health Center