Literacy advocacy experts share their ideas as well as those gleaned from an April 2014 Neighborhood Literacy Forum.

1. Advocating for Literacy
“It takes two, baby…”
Talking and Reading
Cynthia Clingman
IRA, MRA, KRC Legislative Advocacy Committee
cclingman@gmail.com
Donna Ewigleben
Community Outreach Coordinator, Ferris State University
DonnaEwigleben@ferris.edu

2. What is Literacy Advocacy?
Legislative
Policy
National
State
Local
Community Messaging

3. It Takes Two
Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston
One can have a dream, baby
Two can make that dream so real
One can talk about bein' in love
Who can say how it really feels
One can wish upon a star
Two can make that wish come true, yeah
One can stand alone in the dark
Two can make the light shine through
It takes two, baby
It takes two, baby
Me and you, just takes two
It takes two, baby
It takes two, baby
To make a dream come true, just takes two

4. 30 Million Word Gap
616
1,251
2,153
86% to 98% of the words used by each child by the
age of three were derived from their parents’
vocabularies

5. How to build literacy
Two priorities: Talking and Reading
What we know:
• Parents and mentors need to talk with and
read to children.
• Children need to read to and talk with parents
and mentors.

6. Thinking about literacy in your
neighborhoods.
Let’s talk about it.
• What literacy needs exist in your circle of
influence?
• What hinders talking and reading?
• What are some ideas for encouraging more
talking and reading?

7. Your ideas
• Safe environment for parents
• Creating time to share
• Create places to increase the child’s sense of
self-esteem
• All communication is valuable

8. Strategies to make these ideas work
Organize!
Get to know other literacy leaders in your
neighborhood:
• Community centers
• Pre schools and schools
• Libraries
• Health providers
• Social Services
• Faith-Based sites
• Institutions of Higher Education

9. Resources
Find Services and Resources!
• Schools
• Department of Human Services
• Reading Associations
• Great Start Collaborative
• Faith Based centers
• Neighborhood associations
• Libraries – Michigan E Library

10. Michigan eLibrary - MeL
• MEL.org
–1,000 online practice tests
–ACT, SAT, GED prep
–Computer skills tutorials
–Resume builders
–Games for all ages!!
–Debra Biggs Thomas, MDE contact for MEL
biggsthomasd@michigan.gov

11. Your ideas for Resources
Let’s Talk about it!
• What are other literacy initiatives that you
know about?
• How have they successfully met the “It takes
two” message?
• How can you get parents and community
members involved?

12. Your ideas
• Literacy Center
• United Way Schools of Hope
• Little free libraries
• Meeting people where they are, not where WE
are
• Books on food trucks
• Play and learn – churches, libraries,
• Michigan Humanities Council – grants
• Parks and Recreation, YMCA,

13. Resource Contacts
• Kent Reading Council Rock and Read (Books for new moms)
Jane Meade, mjbmead@gmail.com
• Michigan Reading Association, http://michiganreading.org/
Student Involvement: Great Lakes Great Books, Kaleidoscope
• International Reading Association endorsements:
http://www.Loving2Learn.com (Printable books for kids)
http://www.firstbook.org/ (Access to new books for children to
read in Title I Schools)
http://www.rotary.org, Rotary Clubs

14. More Resources
• http://www.readingrockets.org/article/57
• Community efforts to coordinate early
childhood services in Kent County:
www.firststepskent.org
• Statewide Initiative through Michigan
Department of Education – stay tuned!!
Michigan.gov/cultureofreading

15. Legislative Activities
Local
School board, mayor, county, township
State
House, senate, governor, Michigan Department of Education
Contact your local representative:
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/
Follow legislative activity:
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/
Federal
House, senate, President, Department of Education

16. 16
Why?
Your voice matters