Findlay, Ohio, May 3, 2000 – The University of Findlay’s Marilyn and Gordon Macklin Institute for Intergenerational Studies has received a $200,000 grant from the State of Ohio Department of Education.

The grant funds will be used to develop the Early Childhood Literacy Project which will provide professional development, parent workshops, Early Childhood Literacy Specialist certification and a literacy infused early childhood associate’s degree program.

The University of Findlay’s goal is to offer an innovative early childhood course of study and certification program that emphasizes literacy and prepares pre-service teachers, Head Start teachers, early childhood professionals and early childhood education faculty to competently and effectively nurture literacy skills in young children and/or to become Certified Literacy Specialists.

Research indicates that the first five years of a child’s life are crucial to literacy development and are shaped by a diverse array of influences, including school, media, peers, family and the community. Ironically, it is during these early years that children receive the least attention from the educational world. With the increasing number of working parents and the increasing number of children requiring child care outside the home, the need for child care providers who are skilled in literacy is great.

The University of Findlay’s early childhood education program incorporates education, community-based service learning and hands-on training for students pursuing degrees in early childhood education or intergenerational studies. One of the components of the early childhood education program, the Lifelong Educational Center is an intergenerational care facility that provides care and educational experiences for children six weeks to 12 years of age and facilitates daily interactions with senior adults.

Located on the shared campus of UF and Winebrenner Village, a not-for-profit living center for the aging, the center is supported financially and philosophically by both institutions. As a best practice model in child care, the center is the University’s primary field experience placement site for the early childhood education program.

In addition to daily literacy activities which take place at the center, other literacy enrichment opportunities make UF the ideal institution to run the Early Childhood Literacy Project. Some of those other opportunities include the intergenerational literacy room, the early childhood resource room, the parent library, the literacy-based Children Actively Participating with Senior Adults (CAPS) Program, Shafer Library and the Mazza Collection Galleria, a collection of original artwork from children’s books.