On the second Friday morning of each month, the ordinarily quiet gym of Springhill Lake Recreation Center jumps to life. The littlest Greenbelt babies take over. With harried moms running behind their young lovebugs, they quickly try to corral the kids to join in the reading circle.
The bilingual half-hour program is jam-packed with stories, songs, dancing and short lessons on numbers and colors. Random Unselfish Acts of Kindness (RUAK) sponsors the program. Greenbelt library staff leads the event.
RUAK program organizer Robert Goldberg-Strassler’s smile grew wider as families entered the gym. With good reason, too; February’s event was the biggest turnout since the literacy program started in October last year. Goldberg-Strassler had worked hard to get the word out over the previous few months. It paid off.
Enthusiastic Response
Dariana Luveron learned about the program through a flyer. She brought 4-year-old Jeremiah. What grabbed her attention was the learning sections of the program. “They really catch the attention of the kids; it’s really nice.”
First-timer Kenice Brooks brought her son, 8-month-old Levi Palmer and said, “The program was good. It provided good exposure to other kids since he does not go to daycare. Good for him to be around other kids. It is a great program. I had a great time. I give it a 10 out of 10. I speak both languages, [but] sometimes it’s really difficult for people who only speak Spanish. To have programs like this is good.” When asked if she will return, “Of course. I didn’t know that they [Greenbelt] have so many activities.”
Zoheret Coats attended with 2-year-old Jasmine Fox. “I’ve been looking for a program like this where she can come and interact with other kids since she’s not in daycare, so she can run around and get some of that energy out. I love the bilingual aspect of the song and dance. She loves books.” Mom reads to her daily. When asked if she would return, she giggled and said, “Absolutely! I will be back every month. I will be putting a reminder on my phone in order to remember.”
Addressing a Need
Goldberg-Strassler has been working on literacy in the underserved areas of Greenbelt for years. He noticed children falling further and further behind in their reading competence since the pandemic. The day before February’s storytime event, he dropped off 1,000 books at Springhill Lake Elementary. Each child gets two free books every other month. He dropped three boxes of books at Greenbelt Middle School.
Goldberg-Strassler, who sometimes can’t help but wear his heart on his sleeve and a smile on his face, was just as energetic when there were once just three attendees as he was with over 12 families present this month. He happily gave out free books, balls and snacks, and even joined in a quick game of catch with one of the attendees.
Hosting the event at the Springhill Lake Recreation Center allows nearby residents to walk to the event, eliminating the need for transportation in the middle of the day. Bilingual literacy enables children to learn in the language with which they are most comfortable. According to American University’s School of Education, this increases communication skills, provides higher literacy and helps with cultural and social growth.
“The parents and children don’t know what services and resources are out there due to barriers put up that are out of their control. If I can bring information, books and smiles it works,” said Goldberg-Strassler.
The next story time is Friday, March 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Springhill Lake Recreation Center.