Watch CBS News

The Free Library Of Philadelphia To Host Block Party This Weekend

By Cherri Gregg

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Free Library of Philadelphia is holding a block party Saturday in North Philadelphia and it's all about words.

The goal is to close the literacy gap between lower income and higher income families.

Thirty million words -- that the difference in the vocabulary of a child from higher income versus a child from an economically challenged one. The difference exists for a variety of reasons ranging from lack of access to books, lower education levels for parents or parents with less time for and/or knowledge about learning techniques.

 

 

The Free Library's Words at Play Vocabulary Initiative is hoping to close the gap.

"It's not just about the child, it's about the family," says Siobhan Reardan, president of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

She says Words at Play allows families at two of North Philadelphia locations, Widener Library at 28th and Lehigh Avenue and Lillian Marrero Library at 6th and Lehigh to come in on Saturdays to learn new words through exploration. At the same time, experts from the zoo, Children's Library, Art Museum and other partners come in to make the learning more exciting, while teaching parents how to teach their children.

"Children learn when there's fun around," says Reardan, "and that's our goal."

Saturday the Free Library will throw a block party at its Widener Library location to share more information about Words at Play. The block party kicks off at noon and ends at 3 p.m.

For more information, visit: http://libwww.freelibrary.org/branches/branch.cfm?loc=wid

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.