Program acquaints new mothers with importance of literacy

HARLINGEN — Roxanne Pedraza knew before her 48 hours of labor that raising a daughter would be difficult, she said Friday afternoon.

“I just want her to be able to get an education and succeed at it because I didn’t pay enough attention in school,” Pedraza said as she held her first child, Ellie Jayd Hinojosa.

Educating Ellie will start as soon as possible with a new program sponsored by the local United Way and the Harlingen Public Library.

Volunteers from the United Way and the library started the Born to Read program Friday afternoon at Valley Baptist Medical Center.

Through the Born to Read program, new mothers at Valley Baptist and Harlingen Medical Center will be given a tote bag that includes a book for newborns titled “Global Babies.”

“Literacy starts at the beginning of life,” Kathy Preddy, spokeswoman for the United Way of Northern Cameron County, said. “With this program, we’ll be able to get new mothers acquainted with the library and the infant literacy and child literacy programs there.”

The United Way and the library started a reading program for elementary school students earlier this year, children’s librarian Molly Osborn said. The new program expands the reach of childhood development.

Osborn has organized reading programs at the library for all ages, including infants and toddlers, on the first and third Thursdays of every month at 10:30 a.m., she said.

“The program is great because it doesn’t just benefit the new baby,” Harlingen Medical Cen-

ter spokesman Manny Chacon said. “The book could also help any older siblings and the tote bag includes literature for the mother to get more education. It really is a great program.”

It’s those types of extra programs that Pedraza hopes to get her daughter involved with, she said.

“Everyone has been telling me that you have to get started as soon as possible because babies and kids are always developing,” the new mom said.

Ellie can look forward to getting involved in extracurricular activities throughout her schooling, Pedraza said. The first-time mother wants to have only one child so she can have an acute focus on education, she said.