Read from the Start programs, funding for special family reading events, professionally designed promotional
materials, and support and guidance to the local Read First! partners charged with planning activities that would be
unique and meaningful to the local families.
Read First!
Ten Missouri communities were selected to participate in the first year: Butler County, Cuba, La Plata,
Macon, Marion County, Moberly, Mountain View, Savannah, Tarkio, and Washington. The committees planned an
impressive range of activities designed to get families excited about reading together. For example, in La Plata,
families gathered for “Click Clack on the Community Reading Track” at the Silver Rails Conference Center. Trainthemed fun, storytellers, and lots of free books were enjoyed by children and their parents. In tiny Tarkio in the
northwest corner of the state, families sported bright yellow Read First! tee shirts and each child under five years old
received a brand new book at the annual Tarkio Friendship Day. Families in Hannibal took advantage of a sunny
February day to attend “Read Around Town,” where visitors could stop in at local stores along Main Street to read or
hear a story, then head to the library to pick out a brand new free book and tee shirt.
In addition to lots of family-friendly fun, parents in the Read First! communities were learning about the
importance of reading at READ from the START programs. Parents and childcare providers also attended an MHC
produced workshop where they learned how to use movement, music, and art to interact with a story. And
everywhere in the Read First! communities there were colorful reminders to read to a child.
The response to Read First! has been overwhelmingly positive. Most important, there are indications that
parents are hearing and heeding the message. Parent educators noted an increase in parental interest about reading
and language. Librarians in several of the towns reported an increase in applications for library cards from parents
with young children. Newly created story times for very young children were popular. In fact, in Savannah, a
childcare provider reported that she had to close her center early on a certain day of the week because all of the
children in her care were headed to story time at the library.
In 2009-2010, MHC continued Read First! in the original 10 towns. Both the communities and the Council
realized we still had much to learn about encouraging parents to read. In the pilot year, the Read First! activities
were limited to a one-month period in each و H