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Meriden Children First Initiative News

Web Site: http://www.meridenchildrenfirst.org
165 Miller St., Meriden, CT 06450
Tel: () - Fax: (203) 630-2423

Non-profit group dedicated to improving the lives of Meriden children and families by way of research, leadership, training and advocacy.

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Meriden Children First Initiative has been named a ...

July 9, 2006

Meriden Children First Initiative (CFI) is a non-profit agency with the mission to improve the educational, social and health outcomes of children through increased parental involvement in civic life. CFI regularly sponsors early learning programs that improve children's readiness for school as well as other activities that empower parents and positively impact the community.

The proceeds from this year's Silver City Brewfest will benefit our �Senior Buddy Readers' intergenerational literacy and mentoring program. This is a prevention program, designed to help boost the reading skills and self-esteem of at-risk 1st and 2nd graders. The Senior Buddy Readers program began as a pilot program in January 2002, with seven volunteers at one elementary school, and it has continued to grow and expand each year since then. The Senior Buddy Readers program will be entering its fifth year of operation in September 2006. Last year, 80 senior citizen volunteers helped 200 children in six of Meriden's public elementary schools improve their reading skills.

The funds from the Silver City Brewfest will be used to purchase specially leveled fiction and non-fiction books for use with the program. Providing appropriately leveled books to emergent and struggling readers allows the students to gain confidence in their reading abilities and progress in their reading skills more quickly. In addition, leveled books help to validate the senior volunteers' efforts, as they watch their students progress to higher leveled books each week.

Tickets cost $20 and are available at Children First in the Meriden Public Library. You can also call 630-3566 or print out a ticket form from www.meridenchildrenfirst.org

If you are with a business, consider being a business sponsor for this year's event. There are a variety of different sponsorship levels and their benefits.

Member News is provided as a service of the Midstate Chamber of Commerce and is also featured in the monthly "Chamber News" newsletter mailed to members.