Knowledgeable shout-outs and giggles of awareness were the delightful responses of preschool children as they listened to Maurice Cummings, special assistant to New York state Assemblyman Keith Wright, read a children’s book to their group of 30-plus at the Area 145 Day Care Center in Harlem’s Hamilton Heights. On Aug. 23, Cummings was a guest presenter of Heritage Health and Housing at “Reach Out and Read,” its distinctive event to promote early literacy.
As part of this program, Heritage gives books to children during their annual physicals. The benefit of this program is that by giving books to children and having their parents read to them, children will become interested in learning and reading, thus making them better educated and able to achieve more in their educational future.
Heritage Health and Housing is a private nonprofit agency providing comprehensive health, mental health and residential services to residents of northern Manhattan, the South Bronx and Queens.