Semcac Head Start was one of 29 organizations to receive books through Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s BookStart program, a partnership between SMIF and Capstone Publishers.

This effort is part of SMIF’s Early Childhood Initiative, focused on providing resources so all children can have a healthy life of learning, achieving, and succeeding. BookStart, now in its sixth year, has provided more than 24,000 books.

The goal is that every child has a book of his or her own at home to read or be read to by family members, which promotes a life-long for reading.

Semcac Head Start was selected to receive 400 books valued at $15.95 each because it provides outstanding early literacy opportunities for young children and their families. Semcac Head Start will incorporate the books into their November Literacy Month at the Family Fun Night. At this event, young children will receive one of the books to take home and keep.

Semcac, a non-profit community action agency, receives federal and state funding to administer Head Start at fifteen sites in Dodge, Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Steele and Winona Counties. In 2008-09, Semcac Head Start serves 374 3- to 5-year-olds, providing preschool education and comprehensive services to participating families at no cost. For more information, or a schedule of Family Fun Nights, call one of the Mower County Head Start Centers at 434-8487, 433-0974 or 251-6383.

“We are pleased to be able to partner with Capstone Publishers to provide these exceptional resources to promote early literacy and learning for our young children,” notes SMIF’s President and CEO Tim Penny. “We believe investing in our young children is a long term workforce strategy that will lead to a capable workforce.

For more information on SMIF’s Early Childhood Initiative partnerships and resources, visit www.smif oundation.org or contact Anni O’Neill at annin@smi foundation.org.