Children learn to ‘Read and Create’ through literacy council program

Encouraging children to read by introducing them to a grant-funded reading and art therapy program is a tactic being successfully implemented by the Horry County Literacy Council. The “Read and Create” program, funded by Dollar General’s Literacy Foundation, “combines the joy of reading with the creation of art,” according to volunteer program administrator Annette Staehle.

“My focus was to combine the joy of reading with the creation of artwork and ultimately raise the level of self-esteem,” said Staehle of developing the program.

Staehle, a retired New Jersey public school administrator, registered art therapist and new member of the literacy council’s board of directors, offers the program to children in after-school care at the Burgess Community Center in Murrells Inlet and those in the Extra Curricula Clubs at St. Michael Catholic School in Garden City. One day a week, children who have completed their homework join Staehle for a reading and art experience at each location.

“The nicest thing is when I started, I used to read to them and have discussions,” Staehle said. “Now they read aloud, and that is exactly what I wanted to happen. They each want a turn. It’s a great thing to see.”

Children like Sheldon Robey, 7, who, along with many of the other students in the after-school program, attends St. James Elementary School, say the program is “awesome.”

Elizabeth Usher, 9 and a third-grader at St. James, echoed Staehle’s instructions that “there are no mistakes to art.”

“It’s really fun … and [Staehle] likes everything you do,” Usher said. “She reads a lot of fun stories, and it makes after school more fun instead of sitting around and just doing homework.”

Staehle said that when she moved to the area after vacationing here for the last decade, she wanted to do some meaningful volunteer work and responded to an article she read about the high rate of illiteracy in the county. As she became more involved with the Horry County Literacy Council, she said she was amazed at the lack of funding received by the nonprofit to combat statistics that show 27 percent of the population between ages 18 to 24 reads below a fourth-grade level, and 20 percent has a learning difficulty.

Equipped with the knowledge that art therapy “is an enhancing experience,” Staehle began a search for grants to fund a program that would support youth reading skills and to help build a desire to read. With help from literacy council staff, she secured the $2,500 Youth Literacy Grant through Dollar General’s foundation. The funding was enough to buy supplies for the two locations this year. With hopes of future funding, the program could expand to additional locations, she said.

Working with the children at the Burgess after-school center the day after Earth Day, Staehle incorporated some plant art into the day’s activities. Using washable paints and cut vegetables, the children dipped the ends of broccoli, peppers, celery, potatoes and carrots in the paint to dot white sheets of paper with unique designs.

Ten-year-old Kaiden Robey, a fifth-grader who designed a spring meadow scene with pink blossoms, said the program is “amazing.”

“When I first came in here, I just thought you could just draw and do projects, but it is much more fascinating how she makes us learn about something new that we don’t know,” Robey said.

Those lessons include facts about famous artists such as Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso and about how to create art using your eyes, hands and heart.

Staehle said she has found her niche in working with the children in the “Read and Create” program, helping to raise their self-esteem while encouraging development of both reading skills and art.

“I just love the idea if they are little and you make them feel good about themselves, they’re going to do things that are challenging,” she said. “Then you have to be there to support them.”

In addition to reading books during the weekly sessions, the children benefit from taking books home with them, thanks to a donation of 800 books from Books-A-Million to the Horry County Literacy Council. Additionally, artwork generated at the Burgess center was displayed at the Socastee branch of the Horry County Memorial Library through April, and the St. Michael students’ artwork is on display at the school.

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Children learn to ‘Read and Create’ through literacy council program."