Early Literacy Project

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Clinics, co-evaluations and consultatiosn Thanks to a generous grant from Target, Heartspring therapists and clinicians are going out into the Wichita community and conducting free hearing and speech screenings at area preschools and daycare centers. Heartspring’s Target Early Literacy Project was designed to identify pre-kindergarten children at risk of language learning problems and give parents information on what resources are available to help them. Screenings are offered monthly in the Spring and Fall. Preschools and daycare centers interested in participating in this program should contact Kristina Baker at (316) 634-8881.

Children with language learning difficulties comprise the single largest disability category within education. Eight to twelve percent of preschool children have some form of speech or language impairment. The foundations for learning and school success are established very early in a child’s life. Research has shown that children with an early speech learning deficit are likely to have reading problems later on – children who are slow at learning to speak and understand language may also be slow at learning how letters represent sounds and may not be able to make sense out of what they read. Children learn to organize their thoughts and focus their ideas by talking about themselves and their experiences. If a child does not process or organize language properly, reading may be difficult for them. A hearing problem is another common cause of language learning difficulties. Children who are good listeners and speakers may become strong readers and writers. If the language skill difficulty can be identified by the time the child is 3-5 years old, early intervention strategies will improve the child’s chances of future school success, reducing the need for special education services in later years, as well as minimizing the loss of self-esteem brought on by a pattern of school failure.

"These screenings provide the community a service no other organization provides, free of charge. Heartspring, thanks to Target, is getting the word out about early literacy skills for young children. Speech-language, hearing and literacy screenings provide parents and teachers with information on where their child is and what skills need to be improved upon to maximize their potential literacy development," said Kim Becker, director of pediatric services at Heartspring.

Heartspring’s Target Early Literacy Screenings are conducted on-site at daycare centers and preschools, making it easy for parents to have their child participate. Two weeks before each screening, brochures explaining the program are sent home with the children. Parents who wish to participate complete and sign the attached permission form and return it to their child’s teacher. The screenings are conducted by a licensed speech language pathologist and an audiologist, and cover areas such as articulation, language, literacy and hearing. Each screening takes approximately 20 minutes and the children receive stickers and bookmarks for participating. Copies of the screening results are provided to parents, along with a short letter of explanation and a list of agencies who provide services to children. Parents are encouraged to call and speak to the clinicians personally with any questions about their child’s results.

Target Screenings The Target Early Literacy Project has been very well received by the schools that have participated. Ms. Kathryn Boss, Co-Director and Teacher at Holy Cross Lutheran Preschool said, “Several parents commented that they would not have known about the loss of hearing in their child without this opportunity. They were very grateful to be able to help their child before they entered elementary school. No doubt, this would affect their child’s learning. They wanted to get their children off to a good start.”

“Target is so grateful for this opportunity to support the community. Heartspring is a great organization and I’m glad we could partner with them on this project,” said Janine Efferding, Store Manager at Target East, the sponsoring Target store for this project.

Parents who may be concerned about their child's development may be eligible for a free developmental screening through Heartspring's KidCheck.