San Benito County Superintendent of Schools Krystal Lomanto hosted a summit on May 23 at Spring Grove School, where she unveiled Building Bridges 2 Literacy, a county-wide English and Spanish early literacy initiative using smartphones, tablets, and computers. Together with members of the San Benito County Board of Education, Lomanto will challenge the San Benito County community to read 3 million words by Sept. 1.
This “transformative literacy effort” supports the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Students. Through this initiative, the San Benito County Office of Education (SBCOE) has partnered with Footsteps2Brilliance, Inc., the creators of an early learning mobile technology platform that provides – free of charge – libraries of eBooks, educational games and activities, and creative writing opportunities to every family with 0-5 year olds and Pre-K through third -rade students who reside within San Benito County.
“Research shows that the greatest disparity of knowledge among children is the vocabulary gap – the number of words a child knows from birth through third grade,” according to a press release from the county office of education. “Children from low-income families hear 30 million fewer words before the age of 4 than their more affluent peers. This problem is compounded by the fact that 61 percent of low-income children have no books in their homes. No single strategy offers a greater return on investment than providing early learners with the tools needed to read proficiently by third grade. Every dollar spent on quality early childhood interventions produces a $14 to $17 return.”
Footsteps2Brilliance provides a comprehensive curriculum of more than 1,000 English and Spanish books, songs, and games designed to be for children and to address the vocabulary gap. These educational resources can be accessed from any smartphone, tablet, or computer with or without an Internet connection. Research shows that more than 80 percent of parents own smartphones or mobile devices. In partnership with Footsteps2Brilliance, SBCOE is giving families, schools, and the community the educational tools they need to accelerate vocabulary, reading and literacy using the devices they already own.
“When you have a kindergartener who starts school from a low, socioeconomic disadvantaged family, that does not have access to literature or is not read to, there is a 30-million word gap by age 3,” Lomanto said. “When that happens, it takes a long time in that child’s education to make up for that gap, if ever.”
San Benito County has 38.6 percent of its citizens speaking a language other than English at home, with the most common non-English language is Spanish. By becoming a Model Innovation County, SBCOE will serve as a blueprint for districts and counties around the nation to achieve early literacy success in dual language communities. Through this initiative, Lomanto said she and her team are seeking to impact the lives of children and families throughout the San Benito County communities for years to come.
“There is a lot of research available about the importance of reading, singing, and talking at an early age. SBCOE would like to target that group while our districts work with the transitional kindergarteners through third grade,” Lomanto said.
The San Benito County Office of Education operates a variety of programs for children, youth, and families, and supports schools with academic, business, consulting, and vocational services. It also serves as a facilitator in activities between other governmental and support agencies. Contact the district at 831-637-5393. For more information, visit http://www.sbcoe.org.
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