How a Workshop on Reading and Resilience Empowers Livingston Families

Empowering Parents: The Journey of Early Literacy Begins at Home

Long before young children can read independently, their journey with literacy starts through everyday experiences like talking, playing, and drawing. This foundational concept was the focus of the “Neuroscience of Reading & Resilience Parent Workshop,” held by Great Start Livingston on September 15, 2026, in Howell, Michigan. The event welcomed parents and caregivers from Livingston County to learn about brain development, language, and literacy from Horacio Sanchez, President and CEO of Resiliency Inc.

Practical Literacy Tips for Families

The workshop offered hands-on strategies for integrating literacy into daily life without needing expensive programs. Horacio Sanchez highlighted simple activities that families can incorporate into their routines.

1. Read with Emotion

Engaging storytelling can transform a reading session. Horacio illustrated how tone, facial expressions, and emotions can make stories more vivid. As one parent stated, “Keep reading with emotion.”

2. Word Play

Playing word games helps children recognize sounds and patterns. Try asking questions like “What rhymes with cat?” or “What happens if we change the /c/ sound in cat to /m/?”

3. Clap Out Syllables

Breaking words into syllables makes them feel less daunting. Practice clapping out the syllables in words like “dinosaur” to enhance phonemic awareness.

4. Encourage Early Writing

Early writing begins with scribbling and drawing. Celebrate these early attempts to stimulate development and provide opportunities for children to practice writing.

5. Model Writing

Children learn by observing adults. Show them that writing is a useful part of life by making lists or notes together.

Continuing Literacy at Home

Although the workshop concluded, the literacy journey continues. The Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) offers resources for families to extend learning into homes, particularly for children from prekindergarten through third grade.

A Tangible Impact: Books for Every Family

To ensure families left with more than just information, each received four children’s books. The books served as a bridge from theory to practice, allowing families to apply what they learned at home.

A Book and a Lesson

Participants practiced reading aloud with expression, enriching the workshop’s lessons on emotion and meaning in literacy.

Library Contributions

The Howell Carnegie District Library supported the event by donating a book and library bag to each family.

Personalized Book Selections

Families selected two additional books from various options, allowing them to choose based on their child’s interests and age.

Families chose two additional children’s books to take home and enjoy together.

Feedback from Families

The success of the workshop was measured by the participants’ feedback, with 100% of respondents expressing high satisfaction and a deeper understanding of early literacy and brain development.

Participants shared comments like:

“Best workshop I ever attended!”

“Instructor was incredible. Learned a lot and look forward to trying his techniques.”

“I liked the practical tips about rearranging words and clapping out syllables.”

“The importance of being interactive with your child.”

“Loved it. More people need to know this information.”

“Reading is a miracle!”

Family Engagement and Support

The workshop was made possible through MiFamily family engagement funding, emphasizing the importance of removing barriers to participation. This included providing dinner, childcare, and transportation assistance to ensure families could attend and focus on learning.

We invested in high-quality parent learning

The presentation gave families information and practical strategies connected to literacy, brain development and resilience — knowledge they could take home and use with their children.

We provided dinner

The workshop began in the early evening, right around dinnertime for many families. Adults enjoyed a taco and nacho bar from local restaurant La Finca, while children participating in childcare had their own dinner.

Providing a meal meant families didn’t have to get through work, school and childcare pickup and then choose between getting dinner on the table or getting to the workshop.

We provided free childcare

For parents and caregivers of young children, childcare can determine whether attending an evening workshop is possible at all.

Our childcare team helped create space for adults to focus on learning while their children were cared for nearby.

And while parents learned inside, their children got to spend part of the evening doing something important for them, too: playing.

We helped with transportation costs

Each participating family received a gas gift card. Livingston County covers a large geographic area, and transportation costs can be another barrier to participating in an in-person learning opportunity.

We put books directly into children’s homes

Every participating family left with four children’s books: one connected directly to the evening’s learning, one donated by Howell Carnegie District Library, and two additional books selected by the family.

Families didn’t just hear that reading together matters. They went home with books they could use to do it.

Community partners helped us do even more

Not everything families received was purchased with grant funding. Community partners also contributed to the evening and helped extend its impact.

Livingston County United Way and Hungry Howie’s partnered to provide every participating family with a certificate for a free large pizza.

Did Removing Those Barriers Actually Matter?

We didn’t want to assume. We asked families.

When evaluation respondents identified what helped make it possible for them to attend:

• 81% identified the workshop being free.
• 65% identified the free dinner.
• 62% identified the evening timing.
• 54% identified free childcare.
• 54% identified the location.
• 42% identified the gas gift card.

How This Connects to Michigan’s MiFamily Engagement Work

This workshop is one local example of a larger approach to family engagement across Michigan: moving beyond isolated events and toward meaningful partnerships connected to children’s learning and development.

Michigan’s MiFamily Engagement Framework identifies five principles for this work:

• Relationships are the cornerstone of family engagement.
• Families are engaged and supported partners in their child’s education.
• Family engagement is purposeful, intentional and connected to learner outcomes.
• Family engagement is tailored to address all families so all learners can be successful.
• Positive learning environments contribute to family engagement and learning.

Michigan’s MiFamily Engagement Centers provide regional systems of support to strengthen family engagement. The statewide initiative grew from earlier Early Literacy Support Network Hubs, and literacy continues to be an important focus.

Michigan’s statewide MiFamily Engagement Centers Annual Report describes literacy-focused family engagement as helping extend literacy learning “from the classroom into the living room.”

That’s a pretty good description of what we hoped to accomplish with this workshop.

Family Engagement Takes People, Too

Family engagement doesn’t happen without people willing to welcome families, answer questions, solve problems and take care of all the little details that make an evening like this work.

We are especially grateful to Lisa Pecorilli, our Early Literacy Coach, for helping welcome families and manage check-in for the evening.

From the Workshop to the Living Room

A presentation alone doesn’t teach a child to read.

But a parent might go home and read differently that night.

They might roar when the lion roars.

They might whisper when a character whispers.

They might stop and ask their child what they think will happen next.

They might find words that rhyme with cat while riding in the car.

They might clap the syllables in dinosaur.

They might put a child’s scribbled masterpiece on the refrigerator and encourage them to make another.

They might write a grocery list while a preschooler makes a list beside them.

They might pick up one of the four books they brought home and experience the story together.

Those can feel like small moments.

But early childhood is built from small moments.

Thank You to Our Community

We are grateful to Horacio Sanchez for returning to Livingston County and sharing his knowledge with our families.

Thank you to Howell Carnegie District Library for donating a children’s book and library bag for each participating family; Livingston County United Way and Hungry Howie’s for providing pizza certificates; La Finca for helping us provide a wonderful dinner; Lisa Pecorilli for helping welcome families at check-in; our wonderful childcare workers for helping make participation possible for parents; and all of the staff, volunteers and community partners who helped make the evening possible.

Most importantly, thank you to the parents and caregivers who chose to spend their evening learning with us.

Helping children become readers is something we do together — one relationship, one conversation, one story and one book at a time.