The first Mississippi Department of Education literacy meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11 in Oxford.

Parents of children in kindergarten through third grade are invited to attend this session at the Oxford Convention Center to learn how to improve their son or daughter’s reading skills, ensuring a passing score on the third-grade literacy test and acceptance into the fourth grade.

Parents who have children of these ages should make time to attend the meeting, investing not only in their son’s or daughter’s education, but also helping to increase Mississippi’s scores on the third-grade literacy test.

We are fortunate to live in a community with two effective school districts who both scored exceptionally high on the third-grade literacy test last year. We hope the high scores will not deter parents from attending this session. Help Oxford and Lafayette County’s scores remain high by going, and learning new tips and information about how to enhance your child’s literacy skills, like reading to them each night or playing fun and educational games.

Our children are the future leaders of Lafayette County. The time we invest in ensuring they are literate is twofold — to prepare them for a successful life beyond their younger years and to cultivate the future leaders of our community.