Published:
By Kate Callahan ’14
Love, kindness, and literacy. These hallmarks of early education came alive in the hearts and minds of a dozen young children celebrating the 50th anniversary of Central’s Literacy Center on Nov. 14.
Professor of Literacy, Elementary and Early Childhood Education and Director of the Literacy Center Jesse Turner became the gregarious emcee of a party that included live children’s music, honored award recipients, coveted gold medallions, delicious cupcakes, and a diverse array of books that tell the stories of all kinds of people all over the globe.
For 50 years the Literacy Center has provided free assessment and tutoring services to 10 children from the surrounding communities.
Turner says, “That service, if paid for in the private sector, would be around $2 million.”
Turner has been the center’s director since 1999 and initiated the move to change its name from Reading Clinic (1972 to 1998) to Literacy Center (1999 to present).
“This shift moved us to becoming a much more family friendly place,” he adds. “As our director, I have facilitated three updates and moves (since 1999).”
On its 50th birthday, the Literacy Center buzzed with children, guests, parents, guardians, and Education students in what children’s singer-songwriter Barry Lane calls “A Force Field for Good.” Before he strums his guitar, Lane asks his audience, “What is kindness?”
Children in the room call out: “Kindness is love and joy that brings happiness to people.” “Kindness is giving stuff to people.” “Kindness is taking care of people.” “If we’re not kind, people will be sad.”
Lane says his music teaches children social literacy, emotional literacy, and the love of language.
He explains, “There’s kind of a misnomer in education that academic skills and social emotional skills are two different things. Anyone who loves to read knows that you fall in love with characters, and they have the same problems you have.”
Lane, who travels from Maine, donates his performances to the Literacy Center. Other champions of the center are Interim Provost Kimberly Kostelis, who has been instrumental in helping to create the center’s present space in Barnard Hall, and Vanessa Rivera, the CrazyLatinCook, who donated 60 cupcakes for the event. Each were honored with a Friends of the Literacy Center award.
The center participates in the Ana Grace Project Facebook Live Mystery Readers nightly event. The Literacy Center covers Wednesday nights, which started the COVID-19 pandemic forced all schools to go online.
The center is also overseeing the Ana Grace/Central Literacy Culturally Responsive Teacher Awards. Turner says, “Culturally responsive teachers believe that readers should be able to see themselves in books.”
He refers to Rudine Sims Bishop, a children’s literature researcher, who wrote about children’s books being windows (to see others), mirrors (to see ourselves), and sliding glass doors (to walk into a story and become part of the author’s world).
“Culturally responsive teachers use the content and stories in books to inspire all possibilities for children,” Turner adds.
As the Literacy Center celebrates 50 years, Turner looks ahead. He and Central President Zulma Toro worked with New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart to populate the Literacy Center with more New Britain Public School children. The center now serves 28 children, 14 of whom are from New Britain.
“What is the next 50 years?” Turner asks. “We think we have a magic here … but that’s not what’s going on in education. Everybody is leaving teaching. They’re demoralized. So, we feel we have a magical secret here. We remind teachers why they wanted to teach in the first place.”