Dr. Seuss icon visits Palatka to promote literacy

  • Children enjoy a reading of The Cat in the Hat at Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka as part of the Early Learning Coalition’s Early Literacy Outreach Program.
    Children enjoy a reading of The Cat in the Hat at Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka as part of the Early Learning Coalition’s Early Literacy Outreach Program.

Dr. Seuss’ most famous cat – The Cat in the Hat – popped into Palatka on Friday to celebrate with peppy preschoolers the literacy week and the famous author’s birthday.

The Early Learning Coalition of North Florida took the festivities to Ravine Gardens State Park where local preschools experienced a special story time event complete with The Cat himself but the entertainment did not stop there.

Local preschoolers made Fox in Sox-inspired puppets, played in a Green Eggs and Ham sensory bin, created a personalized book and practiced toy fishing inspired by Dr. Seuss’ One Fish Two Fish book, an agency press release shared.

“The ELC of North Florida believes focusing on early literacy is the key to a child’s future success,” the coalition stated.

Each child left the celebration with a free Dr. Seuss book and each teacher received a bag of resources for their classroom.

The coalition works to provide child care assistance to families requiring “income assistance,” the North Florida organization stated. Friday’s event was part of the coalition’s readiness program, which is “designed to increase a child’s chance of achieving future educational success.”

The Early Learning Coalition serves Putnam, St. Johns, Nassau, Baker, Bradford and Clay counties. It offers child care resources help, voluntary pre-kindergarten for four-year-olds, resources for educators and financial aid with school readiness materials.

Part of their work includes hosting events like Friday’s for local preschoolers.

Some children who visited Ravine Gardens fun were gussied up in Cat in the Hat-themed outfits, complete with hats and bow ties. Classes that participated included Palatka agencies God’s Little Creations Child Care Center and A Child’s Safe Haven.

However, the coalition work could not be done without local help.

“Local ELC literacy volunteers running all the activities made the events happen,” coalition Outreach Manager Joan Whitson said in a statement.

The agency is still looking for volunteers to help and interested people can contact Whitson at jwhitson@elcnorthflorida.org.

 

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