Waukegan Alderman Reads to Children at Health Center Event, Feb. 11

Waukegan First Ward Alderman Sam Cunningham will read to children at the next "Leaders are Readers" event at the North Chicago Health Center, 2215 14th Street in North Chicago. This free event, which will have a Valentine's Day theme, will take place on Saturday, February 11, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. In addition to readings in both English and Spanish, kids will make Valentine's Day cards for their loved ones.

The Lake County Health Department launched the "Leaders are Readers" series in connection with its commitment to the 30-Million-Word Campaign. The initiative is encouraging parents to read more to their children, since there is a direct correlation between early verbal experiences in childhood and later achievement.

Research shows that children who are not exposed to enough words during their first years of life often have vocabularies that are half the size of other children by age 3. This puts them at a disadvantage when they start school.

The "Leaders are Readers" series takes place on the second Saturday of each month. Reservations are unnecessary. For more information, please send an email to: ksingleton-Reed@lakecountyil.gov.