TAPP Project

I openly have a passion for early literacy. At the JCPS Georgia Chaffee TAPP program, we have a ripe population of the very earliest readers--babies! Just as importantly, we have their mothers, who are also JCPS students. My TAPP project originated from my desire to make an impact on teenage mothers and their babies through early reading resources and awareness of why reading aloud to infants is important.

I have traveled to TAPP four times since 2017 to present learning sessions with the moms and give board books for them to read with their babies. Moms have received at least four board books each time, as well as resources and a learning session about how and why to read to babies and toddlers. My learning session combines accessible research-based information about reading aloud with practical video examples (real moms reading!) and real-life application.

I have collected board books for four years now to give out to the moms. I have petitioned the Reading Recovery teacher community, my own friends and family, other JCPS schools, and even strangers. I began a Donors Choose project in the fall to buy a common board book text to give to the moms. The $800 project was funded in just over 24 hours! Generous donors have supplied these moms with over 2,000 books over the past four years.

On February 28th, I went back to TAPP for a big book shopping event! This session was unique also because the moms developed a Personal Reading Plan to use as their School-Specialty Backpack artifact (I am a responsible and productive parent.). The TAPP librarian and I have collaborated to design a practical tool to help the moms think about how, where, when, and why they will read to their babies.