The festival will provide opportunities for families to see the importance and relationship of good reading skills and better living. It s more than reading, he explains, it s learning to live. Literacy teaches practical things. You learn about nutrition, how to access the medical community and survival skills, which are very important. Seaman works with and is an avid supporter of Even Start, a federally funded program for economically disadvantaged families.
Parents learn through demonstrations how to teach and work with their children.
Even Start programs across the state have been very successful both for schools and families, Seaman noted. The program is good for schools for many reasons. It reduces absenteeism among economically disadvantaged students, it increases parent involvement in the schools, and it prepares young children for the school system. It helps families, schools, and communities. Festivities for Project Bookmark begin at 10 a.m. with a reading by Laura Bush, first lady of Texas.