Parents across Wyoming, can now sign up for a new, free texting service that delivers fun facts and easy tips to their phones. Called Ready4K, the texting service shows parents how to boost children’s learning and get them ready for kindergarten. Wyoming libraries are encouraged to download the ready-to-print flyer and the sample press release to promote this service in their communities. The flyer also includes information on early literacy resources in GoWYLD.net.
In the last year, the University of Wyoming’s Literacy Research Center and Clinic teamed up with Stanford University to develop and research Ready4K to make this service available in Wyoming. Research shows that receiving these helpful texts can significantly increase children’s learning. Parents and caregivers with children, ages 3 to 5, are invited to sign up for the free service, which provides three texts per week. The service is available in English and Spanish.
Ready4K is a great addition to the early literacy services libraries offer, such as picture books, the GoWYLD resources, and storytimes. Statewide organizations, including the Wyoming Library Association and Wyoming Head Start Association, are supporting outreach efforts to parents of preschoolers and kindergarteners. Local libraries are encouraged to spread the word.