On May 3rd, the Camden Campaign for Children’s Literacy (CCCL) was recognized as an Outstanding Community Program at the Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) Camden County Chapter’s 18th Annual Recognition Day.

Angela Connor-Morris, CCCL Program Director and Elaine Paynter, RNCP, Pediatric Clinical Manager at Cooper Pediatrics accepted the award on behalf of the Campaign.

The Literacy Volunteers of America have worked in close partnership with the Camden Campaign for Children’s Literacy through two key initiatives: The Parental Literacy Program and the Prescription to Read Initiative. The Parental Literacy Initiative provides Health Literacy Workshops for Health Care Professionals at Cooper Pediatrics and Cam Care clinicians. Jackie Mintz, Director of LVA Camden County, personally delivers each learning style seminar. The workshops assist clinicians in recognizing the impact of adult literacy on the medical community, train clinicians to improve cross-cultural communication skills, and connects LVA with Cooper/Cam Care Pediatrics to increase parental and caregiver health literacy.

The Prescription to Read Program is based on the National Reach Out and Read Pediatric Literacy Program. The Prescription to Read program joins the efforts to make books and the encouragement of early literacy part of the everyday pediatric practice. Volunteer readers, led by Sue Edmondson of LVA, bring books into the clinic waiting rooms, modeling the joy of the reading experience to both children and adults. Pediatric practitioners offer parents advice about reading books aloud and how important this is to their child’s early language development. Every child, from birth to five years, takes home a brand new book from every well-visit.

While accepting the award, Connor-Morris noted how important the RU-CCCS/LVA partnership has been to the overall success of these programs. Connor-Morris called the partnership a “model for other communities as a way to share resources, share expertise and bring needed services to communities that otherwise would not have literacy programs so readily available.”

For more information regarding the Parental Literacy Initiative or Prescription to Read Program, please contact Angela Connor-Morris at (856) 225-6739 or Jackie Mintz of LVA at (856) 772-1636, extension 3331.