UT Tyler Seeking Participants for Parent-Powered Literacy Project

August 5, 2024 | Hannah Buchanan

The University of Texas at Tyler is seeking participants for the Parent-Powered Literacy Project, which aims to promote early childhood literacy in East Texas. This initiative, conducted in partnership with the Chapel Hill Independent School District and the UT Tyler K-16 Literacy Center, is designed to enhance parent capacity for nurturing early language and literacy development in children from birth to age four.

The project is free to the first 25 participants who register by Monday, Sept. 3. Participants will be
involved in the program through May 31, 2025.

“Neuroscience research highlights the critical role of early brain development, especially during
infancy and early childhood,” said project director Dr. Kouider Mokhtari, UT Tyler Anderson-
Vukelja-Wright Endowed Professor and director of the K-16 Literacy Center. “Enriched
environments, quality caregiving and educational stimulation significantly impact young children's
developmental outcomes.”

Families actively involved in the project will receive numerous benefits, including parent education
to enhance skills in supporting early language and literacy development at home, a start-up literacy
resource kit with tools for early literacy activities, a monthly children’s book to encourage reading,
ongoing support to boost children's literacy skills, and access to early learning resources through a
dedicated website.

“We are thrilled to partner with The University of Texas at Tyler on the Parent-Powered Literacy
Project,” said Lamond Dean, Chapel Hill Independent School District superintendent. “This aligns
with our mission to engage, educate and empower families, the community and school staff with
resources and partnerships that support the academic and personal growth of all students.”

To register or for more information, contact Mokhtari at kmokhtari@uttyler.edu or 903.566.7177.

“This project empowers parents by equipping them with the tools to enrich early language and
literacy environments at home, thus preparing their children for school readiness,” said Dr. Josh
Tremont, executive director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at CHISD.

The K-16 Literacy Center is an educational unit operated within the School of Education by the UT
Tyler College of Education and Psychology. Its core purpose is focused on strengthening literacy
instruction and improving academic achievement outcomes of K-16 students at the university,
school and community levels. For additional information, visit https://www.uttyler.edu/academics/colleges-schools/education-psychology/departments/education/literacy-ctr/.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT
Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students.
Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has
unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent
patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World
Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.