| NEW YORK - Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye today kicked off the
nation's first court-based literacy program, handing out new books to children
at the Manhattan Family Court and Nassau County Family Court Children's
Centers. The unique new program, which today begins statewide in all 28
court-annexed Children's Centers, features the gift of a new, age-appropriate
book for every child who visits a Children Center.
Research has shown that a large number of children enter school unprepared
to read and do not have books of their own at home. The Children's Center
Literacy Project seeks to create a literacy-rich environment for the thousands
of New York children who accompany their parents to court and spend time
in any one of the network of Children's Centers statewide. In addition
to reading to children, all Center activities, including art projects,
games and computer exercises, will be focused on reading readiness. To
launch the literacy initiative, Golden Books Family Entertainment has donated
40,000 books - enough for every child in the first year of the Children's
Center program.
Chief Judge Kaye said, "Our court-based Children's Centers provide a
perfect opportunity to start a child on that essential road to literacy.
Tens of thousands of youngsters pass through the doors of a Children'sCenter
in a New York court annually. Now every child will walk away with a brand
new book and perhaps enough stimulation and encouragement to continue reading
for life. I am grateful to Golden Books for donating a generous supply
of books, which will provide for the needs of the program's entire first
year of operation."
The Children's Center Literacy Project was developed by the Permanent
Judicial Commission on Justice for Children - a commission chaired by the
Chief Judge, which oversees the Statewide network of Children's Centers
in the Courts. Its partners in this initiative include President Clinton's
America Reads Challenge as well as the not-for-profit agencies that operate
the Children's Centers. In New York City, all the centers are operated
by Safe Horizon, Inc. The Nassau Family Court Children's Center is operated
by Family and Children's Association, Inc.
Golden Books Family Entertainment, Inc., is the leading children's book
publisher in North America. The company owns one of the world's largest
libraries of family entertainment copyrights and creates, publishes and
markets entertainment and educational products for children and their families
across all media. From today's hottest licenses like Pokémon, The
Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo, Barbie and Disney to beloved children's classics
like The Poky Little Puppy, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and pat the
bunny, Golden Books publishes across a wide variety of formats to meet
the educational and entertainment needs of every child.
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