W SLP students participated in “Hop Into Literacy” event

Students from Mississippi University for Women’s the Department of Speech-Language Pathology collaborated with students from Jumpstart to host the Hop Into Literacy parent engagement event, April 15 at The W’s Child and Parent Development Center (CPDC).

“Through the Independent Study Topic: Enhancement of Early Childhood Language and Literacy course, senior SLP students learned how to apply the language- and literacy-promoting strategies taught in the classroom to real-life situations with children and their parents and caregivers,” said Laurel Jones, MS, CCC-SLP, instructor of speech-language pathology. “Many students lack the opportunity to physically go into childcare centers, schools and other settings before grad school, and these opportunities offer important life lessons such as problem-solving in real-time, taking various perspectives and collaborating with and educating parents and teachers in respectful ways.”

Students developed handouts such as how to use Play-Doh, cardboard boxes, bubbles and paper bags to support parents’ use of language and literacy strategies at home. Jumpstart provided literacy kits with materials including: a book, a couple of reading-focused handouts, five small bells, one paper plate and one pipe cleaner. They also discussed the power of reading at home and had parents complete a survey at the conclusion of each visit.

There were about 25-30 adults that attended the event, Laurel Jones said.

“I truly enjoyed being a part of the Hop Into Literacy event! The CPDC did a phenomenal job organizing this event—it was a welcoming and well-planned experience,” said Madison Jones, a student in the course. “One of the highlights for me was meeting the children’s parents and having the opportunity to connect with them. It brought me so much joy to share strategies and tips for building language skills at home.”

The event was just one of a few the class participated in during the semester.

Madison Jones added, “As a senior in the speech-language pathology program at The W, it was incredibly rewarding to take what we’ve learned and make a real impact by helping parents feel empowered to support their children’s language development in fun and meaningful ways.”

Previously, the week of March 3-7, during the CPDC’s book fair, the students created handouts which were provided to parents suggesting two book ideas, those being “Dragons Love Tacos” and “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” On March 4, they also conducted a shared book-reading experience and activity for five Columbus Christian Academy classrooms during Dr. Seuss/Read Across America week. Also, they provided parent handouts, which were sent home in students’ folders.

All of these events serve in conjunction with the course work to achieve the goal of the course, which are to better prepare students to promote children’s social, language and literacy development during everyday interactions and activities.

During the semester, students earned over 12 hours of experience at CPDC developing action plans using the language and literacy focused techniques learned in class, and applying those plans in either the 1,2,3 or 4-year-old classrooms.

“Our hope is to better prepare them for working with children of various ages, from various backgrounds and ability levels,” Laurel Jones said. “We also wanted to promote collaboration with classroom teachers and parents.”