LOU Reads has been selected from over forty applicants to participate in the Barksdale Reading Institute Parent Academy for 2018-2019 school year.

Tamara Hillmer, Director of Early Childhood and Reading Development at LOU Reads, applied for the Barksdale Reading Institute Parent Academy in June 2018, on behalf of preschool parents in the LOU community. During the Aug. 20 meeting of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors, Hillmer discussed plans for the parent academy.

“We will have two teachers from Lafayette Elementary, two teachers from Bramlett Elementary and myself be trained,” Hillmer said. “Starting in October, and every month after that for six months, we will have parent trainings.”

The Barksdale Reading Institute Parent Academy is designed to help parents of rising kindergarteners understand what “kindergarten readiness” is and to equip and empower parents to work on kindergarten readiness skills with their child at home, a statement from LOU Reads said.

The program is broken down into six hands-on modules that cover oral language, the alphabet and writing, print awareness and comprehension, early reading, math and general development (gross and fine motor skill, social/emotional development). Parents are the first stepping stones on the path to education, Hillmer said.

“It’s really important to have that (educational background) before children are pre-school age,” Hillmer said. “These trainings will be training parents, which are the first teachers of our children in the LOU area, to give them extra help on what they can do for their kids at home.”

Parent Academy Meetings will be held once a month in October, November, January, February, March and April. Each meeting will be about an hour and-a-half and led by Hillmer, along with teachers from both Oxford School District, Mary Beth Moore and Aimee Brewer, and Lafayette County School District, Meagen Monroe and Dawn Brazell.

Parent handbooks will be provided for each module, in addition to take-home materials for family friendly instructional activities. Snacks will also be provided at each meeting. Graduation gifts will be given to parents who complete requirements at all six meetings. The location, date and time of the October meeting will be advertised later this month or early next month, a statement from LOU Reads said. For meeting information, follow LOU Reads on social media @loureads38655.