Skip to main content

P-16 Project Promotes Early Childhood Literacy

Good Night Gorilla

"Good Night, Gorilla" by Peggy Rathmann will be one of the books read by UNO students at the Charles B. Washington Branch Library as part of a P-16 service learning project

OMAHA – A partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Omaha Public Library, Humanities Nebraska and area preschools is putting a focus on early-language learning through the power of reading.

For three weeks, students from UNO’s Speech-Language Pathology program have been providing assistance to the Prime Time Family Reading Time program at the Charles B. Washington branch library, 2868 Ames Ave. The final three weeks of the project begin Saturday, Oct. 25.

Throughout the rest of October and the first two weeks of November, UNO students will be applying their knowledge of early language learning strategies by reading to preschoolers and their families.

Following each event, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon, the family will be given their own copy of the book selected by the students.

The remaining book selections are:

Oct. 25 – “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Eric Carle
Nov. 1 – “Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons” by Eric Litwin
Nov. 8 – “Good Night, Gorilla” by Peggy Rathmann

The event is open to all families with preschoolers, but space is limited. Those interested should contact the Charles B. Washington Branch library at 402.444.4849 to register.

The six-week project is a P-16 Initiative service learning project. As part of UNO’s Service Learning Academy, the P-16 Initiative facilitates partnerships between three key groups:

- UNO students and their teachers
- Preschool-through-high school students and their teachers
- Community organizations and their members

Through these service-learning partnerships, P-16 brings the classroom into the community through application of education to find solutions to real-life problems.

For additional information or questions, please contact Charley Reed, UNO media relations coordinator, at unonews@unomaha.edu or 402.554.2129.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of America’s best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Become a fan of UNO on Facebook: www.facebook.com/unomaha and follow UNO's Twitter updates at http://twitter.com/unomaha.