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Partnership Promotes Importance of Reading

Displayed in UNO's Community Engagement Center, this recreation of a piece by artist Rafael Lopez is the product of a P-16 service learning project.

Displayed in UNO's Community Engagement Center, this recreation of a piece by artist Rafael Lopez is the product of a P-16 service learning project.

OMAHA – A partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Omaha Public Library and Humanities Nebraska will promote the importance of literacy and shared reading with young children and their families in the Omaha community.

On Saturday, Oct. 17, Charles B. Washington Branch (2868 Ames Ave.) will kick off a six-week PRIME TIME Family Reading Program with the help of Dr. Mitzi Ritzman’s UNO speech-language pathology graduate students.

UNO students will apply their knowledge from a Language Disorders: Birth to 5 course to promote literacy and early-language learning strategies with young children and their families.

During the six-week program, families will enjoy a breakfast, participate in shared reading time with UNO students and receive a copy of a selected children’s book to encourage shared reading at home.

The event will run from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. each Saturday and feature a different children’s book each week

Oct. 17: “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes” by Eric Litwin

Oct. 24: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle

Oct. 31: “Let It Fall” by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Nov. 7: “Giraffes Can’t Dance” by Giles Andreae

Nov. 14: “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” by Judith Viorst

Nov. 21: “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown

The events are open to all families with preschoolers, but space is limited. Contact the Charles B. Washington Branch at 402.444.4849 to register.

Additional Prime Time Family Reading programs will take place this fall at South Omaha Library (2808 Q St.) and Willa Cather Branch (1905 S. 44th St). Visit omahalibrary.org for more information.

The upcoming 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 questions or media requests, please contact:

Emily Getzschman, Omaha Public Library Marketing Manager
egetzschman@omahalibrary.org
402.444.4896

or

Sam Petto, UNO Media Relations Coordinator
unonews@unomaha.edu
402.554.2704

or

Charley Reed, UNO Associate Director of Media Relations
unonews@unomaha.edu
402.554.2129

Related Links

Learn More About UNO's Service Learning Academy

Spotlight: Early Childhood/Child Welfare

This Day in UNO History: UNO Child Care Center Officially Opens

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.

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