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SALT LAKE CITY -- Some Salt Lake schools believe the recipe to boost reading skills involves pepperoni pizza and preschoolers. They say it's the best kept secret in education.
Long after the school day had ended, an army of preschoolers and their parents munched on pizza in the cafeteria. It hardly resembled a reading class, but teachers were boosting literacy.
A pizza dinner is part of the draw, but once they're there they learn how to take a bigger role in being their child's first teacher.
"I think it's important for them to know exactly what they can do to help develop those skills long before they even enter school," said Audrey Powell, with the Parents as Teachers program.
If they wait until these kids are in kindergarten, some will be behind before they even start. So, teachers pull aside parents for teaching tips, while others work with the children.
The message is not only to spend more time reading, but how to interact.
"I learned that the teachers care about the kids, and they care about the families, and they want the families to be more involved with the kids than what they're doing."
Mom Grizel Guadarrama suggested, "Go to the library. Read to them. I think reading is very good for them."
Educators aren't sure yet, if this effort will boost scores, but many working parents told us they appreciate the training and the support.
"We can't do it without the support of the parents. It's more difficult," Powell said. "We want parents to know how important they really are."
The Parents as Teachers program operates in a few low-income Salt Lake Schools. CLICK HERE to read some of the materials they gave parents at the pizza party.
E-mail: dwimmer@ksl.com
