 |
  |
  |
  |
|
 |
|
|
|
Bright EYES
Early Years Education Stewards
READY to LEARN & READY for LIFE
The newest focus area in Longmont’s Children and Youth Resources Division is Early Care and Education. Early Care and Education refers to programs for children before they enter into kindergarten. Awareness around the importance of quality early care and education programs has been raised throughout the country and Bright EYES is Longmont’s own initiative to promote quality programs for pre-school-aged children. The EYES in Bright EYES stands for Early Years Education Stewards and conveys our vision of Longmont’s role in providing the best possible opportunities for our community’s youngest learners.
The Bright EYES initiative was formed in 2003, when a local ad-hoc group of representatives from the City of Longmont, the St. Vrain Valley School District and several Longmont health and human service agencies formed to focus on ways that the Longmont community could help ensure that ALL Longmont children have a healthy start in life and are ready to learn when they enter school.
GOALS
The Mayor’s Book Club was established in 2007 to help 3 and 4 year-olds develop a love for reading and learning at an early age. The purpose of this free book club is to encourage a love for reading and to foster emergent literacy in children before they begin kindergarten. Ownership of books and having books in the home is a proven indicator of reading success for children. Statistically, for every dollar spent on a child before they turn 5, seven dollars is saved in future community and educational costs.
The Mayor’s Book Club provides free books each month to 500 Longmont 3 and 4 year olds for 12 months. The Mayor also reads the book Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sat. & Sun. at 8:00 am and Tuesday & Thursday at 11:00 am for one month on Longmont’s local access channel, Channel 8. Children in the book club receive an official Mayor’s Book Club Backpack, T-shirt and their own Mayor’s Book Club library card for the Longmont Public Library.
Registration Form
Apply On-Line
To change your Mayor's Book Club address, please e-mail your new information to: CYR@ci.longmont.co.us or call 303-651-8580
Learning to read begins with parents!
Join us for free workshops at the City of Longmont Youth Center (1050 Lashley Street). Help your children learn early reading skills, and have fun, too!
FREE:
Bring your child along for the fun. Workshops begin at 6 pm.
There will be bilingual (English/Spanish) workshop leaders.
WORKSHOPS FOR 2009 HAVE COMPLETED.
If you would like to participate in future workshops, please contact Mayor's Book Club Staff at CYR@ci.longmont.co.us, or call 303-651-8580.
Meeker Center:
The newly-remodeled Meeker Neighborhood Center at 839 Meeker Street in Longmont has been transformed into a Family Resource Center that houses early education classrooms as well as resources and activities for the adjacent Kensington neighborhood. The Longmont Children’s Council (a Head Start program) (http://www.longmontchildrenscouncil.org/) operates 4 comprehensive school readiness classrooms at the Meeker Center that offer a high-quality pre-school curriculum to eligible children. In addition, the St. Vrain Family Center (http://www.stvrainfamilycenter.org/) is housed at the Meeker Center and offers classes to the greater Longmont community such as Positive Parenting, Surviving Divorce and Boot Camp for New Dads as well as Safe Exchange services for families.
How to Get Involved: Early care and education is a community issue – not just a family issue or a government issue. Everyone benefits from children who are prepared to go to school and succeed in school. To learn more about the Bright EYES project and to become involved in this community-wide effort to ensure that all Longmont children are Ready to Learn, Ready For Life.
Join the Bright EYES initiative by:
In Partnership
Are you looking for quality child care for your child? Qualistar, which rates childcare programs in your area, has an online search engine for quality childcare and preschool programs. You will need to register, but then will be able to do a customized online search. Here is the link: http://www.qualistar.org/child_care/
For additional resources: http://www.bouldercountyhelp.org
For more information or to change your mailing address for the Mayor's Book Club monthly book mailings please email CYR@ci.longmont.co.us or call at 303-651-8580
