Get Ready to Read! News from the Field
January 2007

This month’s news comes from the sunny state of Arizona.  Our Southwest Regional GRTR! Center recently told us about how they have connected the GRTR! program with the area “Family Fun Van.” 

What is an area Family Fun Van?  Like a bookmobile, the Family Fun Van travels weekly between four public parks in the area and sets up an hour and a half of preschool programming.  Free and open to parents and children ages 0-5 years-old, this van contains all the necessary components to set up a mobile preschool. 

Funded by the Mesa United Way and Arizona’s Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program, this weekly event gives parents and children opportunities to build early literacy skills, learn techniques for bonding during playtime and allows parents to form relationships with other parents. 

The GRTR! Southwest Center recently introduced information on how to build early literacy skills at home and scheduled times for children to be screened with the GRTR! screening tool.  Connecting with the Family Fun Van has been an excellent way to bring the resources and materials of the GRTR! program to the public.