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In early 1986, the Virginia Beach Reading Council initiated a community literacy project emphasizing the importance of parents reading to new born babies. Originally called "Books for Babies," the project was renamed "Catch 'Em in the Cradle" in July of 1986.

Initially a partnership was formed with Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital through the Maternal/ Child Nursing Department and the VBRC to provided approximately 3,000 packets a year. Each packet included a pudgy book and information about the importance of reading aloud to children. In 1989, the partnership was expanded to include Humana Bayside Hospital. Our community outreach with the "Catch 'Em in the Cradle" project continues to grow, approximately 4,000 packets were assembled by special needs students at Princess Anne High School and delivered in December 1999 and March 2000.
"Catch 'Em in the Cradle" continues to gain momentum because of support of individuals, organizations, and businesses in the community working together. The VBRC receives support from a variety of sources, including several VBCPS SCA's and Honor Societies as well as 7-Eleven. We welcome the support of contributors who share our vision to increase literacy.
Catch 'Em in the Cradle" continues to be a vital part of the council's agenda, providing thousands
of new mothers with important information regarding reading to their newborns.
   

Catch 'Em With A Book
Catch 'Em in the cradle,
Catch 'Em if you can.
Catch 'Em with a book,
Like The Gingerbread Man.

With Catch 'Em in the cradle,
Every baby gets a book.
Soon they'll be readers and,
For life, they'll be hooked.

We want to Catch 'Em in the cradle,
But still you wonder, "How"?
We'll supply the books,
But, we need your money NOW!

Poem By Robin Leach

We Can't Do It Without You!
There are many ways for you to support the Catch 'Em in the Cradle project. You can make a monetary donation, or you can donate quart size plastic bags that have a zipper closing seal. In addition, you can donate board books; however, they need to be small enough to fit into the quart size bag. Please consider supporting this wonderful community outreach project. Please send all plastic bags, board books, and monetary donations to:

Beth Lantz
Cooke Elementary School
1501 Mediterrean Ave.
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451

Please make your check payable to Catch 'Em in the Cradle.

Thank you for supporting literacy in our community by putting books into the hands of a child!

Princess Anne Center
This program provides the Center with a library of appropriate books and monthly guest speakers to promote a love for and value of reading to pregnant teenagers. This year one of the many activities hosted by the VBRC was a breakfast for students at the center. The At-Risk Committee distributed Board books and other goodies to encourage mothers to read to their children.

Young Readers
This program has been touted as yet another innovative way to capture the attention and unleash the imagination of young readers! The Young Readers program encourages students to read books that the Virginia State Reading Council has deemed quality literature. Students are given the opportunity to vote for their favorite book. Throughout the school year the VBRC acts as a liaison for Virginia Beach schools to access the Virginia State Young Readers program. The VBRC disseminates information regarding the program to librarians, Reading Resource Teachers, teachers, and VBRC representatives within Virginia Beach schools; in the Spring the VBRC collects and tallies students' votes and submits a citywide total to the State. During the 1999-2000 school year twenty-one different public school and one private school participated in the program.

Reading in Virginia Journal
Let the author inside you come out! The VBRC takes great pride in submitting articles on behalf of individuals in our schools. This gives our community an opportunity to share information with others who can benefit from our rich and diverse experiences with literacy. The journal highlights successful literacy programs in our schools, shares strategies that work, reports teacher research, explores the issues of literacy across the curriculum, reflects on the impact of educational technology and the Standards of Learning, and reviews books and websites of special interest. Your contributions are greatly appreciated.