Santa Ana, Calif. – In her work The Lightning Dreamer, Cuban American author and poet Margarita Engle writes, “Books are door-shaped portals carrying me across oceans and centuries, helping me feel less alone.”
Books are indeed portals, especially for children. Handling books and listening to stories help them become able readers and lifelong learners. Beyond that, according to California Preschool Learning Foundations developed by the California Department of Education Child Development Division, research shows that these types of literacy activities are tied to increases in motivation, which, in turn, improves comprehension and recall of information.
Simply put, reading makes us smarter.
That’s why leaders from Santa Ana College and the Rancho Santiago Community College District spent a recent morning reading to youngsters at the college’s Early Childhood Education Center. The children also received a book of their own after the story time.
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About Santa Ana College's Early Childhood Education Center
Santa Ana College’s Early Childhood Education Center is a new, state-of-the-art facility built specifically for the care and education of young children. It serves as a training site, along with other district locations, for local college and university students in the early childhood development and human services fields. Students observe and participate in the classrooms to fulfill course requirements and gain practical experience in working with young children. To learn more about SAC’s Child Development and Education Studies program, click here.
About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which turned 100 years old in 2015, serves about 27,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions and provides invaluable workforce training and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 11,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
Dr. Linda D. Rose, president of SAC, reads Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney to children at Santa Ana College’s Early Childhood Education Center on December 12, 2019.
SAC President Linda D. Rose, Ed.D., and Rancho Santiago Community College District Board of Trustees President Claudia C. Alvarez (in green) give books to children at Santa Ana College’s Early Childhood Education Center.
After story time, every child received a book.
