CSLC Lula’s Early Literacy Program

As a retired educator who served 30 years and worked with second-graders, CSLC Education Coordinator Lula Friar knows firsthand the importance of building a solid foundation in early literacy. She attested to how essential it is for parents to be equipped with the tools and instructions to serve their children’s children effectively. Through CSLC Lula’s Early Literacy Program, she and her staff meet those needs.

CSLC’s Lula’s Early Literacy Program is unique in its approach. It uses a research-based model that works with families in the home, empowering parents in their crucial role as their child’s first and most influential teachers.

The CSLC early literacy model uses a unique and developmentally appropriate curriculum, utilizing role play to teach parents the skills needed to implement the curriculum with their child.

Parents and children spend 15-to-20 minutes a day together completing the activities.

The program curriculum helps parents introduce their children to the skills, concepts, and experience with books that together constitute school readiness for young children.

Skills and concepts are developed and built sequentially through completion of the weekly activities, moving progressively from concrete objects to more abstract representations.

Each child receives eight to nine books per year, depending on the age group. During his/her three years in the program, each child will have accumulated 26 books for his/her personal library.

Books and Bonding:

CSLC awarded a $5,000 grant for the “Books & Bonding: Family Literacy Pop-Up Series.”
The Community Students Learning Center (CSLC) is excited to announce that we have received a $5,000 Community Impact Grant from the Community Foundation for Mississippi to launch our newest initiative: Books & Bonding: Family Literacy Pop‑Up Series.
The goal of this three-event series is to encourage early literacy and enhance family engagement in Holmes County’s underserved areas. Through these pop‑up events, CSLC will distribute free books to children ages 0–12, while offering families simple, joyful ways to build reading habits together.
📚 First Giveaway Event
January 17, 2025 • 10:00 a.m.
Community Students Learning Center
333 Yazoo Street, Lexington, MS 39095
Families are invited to join us for a fun, welcoming literacy experience where children can select new books to take home and caregivers can learn easy strategies to support reading at every age.
CSLC is deeply grateful to the Community Foundation for Mississippi for investing in the future of Holmes County’s children. Their support helps us place books directly into the hands of young readers and strengthen the bonds that make learning possible.
Additional pop‑up dates and locations will be announced soon.