COVINGTON, Ky. — Thieves and vandals are taking away the opportunity for children to learn literacy at a young age in Northern Kentucky.
What You Need To Know
- Vandals and thieves have been messing with early literacy signs around Covington
- The signs include a word and picture for every letter of the alphabet
- They aim to teach kids how to read
- Public works said it’s running out of replacement signs
Anyone who’s driven around Covington has likely seen the signs around town. A for apple, B for ball C for cat, and so on. It goes all the way down the alphabet.
Those signs have been vandalized, and some outright stolen, in recent months.
“We did notice one or two of the signs became kidnapped, as I called them, that were stolen. We didn’t have a huge number initially, but over the last several months, we’ve had 11 of them confiscated or taken,” Mary Kay Connolly said. “And that’s sad, because these are for children. Tagging them or damaging them means that they can’t see them as easily, and it’s not as fun of an experience, right?”
Connolly is the director of Read Ready Covington. It’s a city-sponsored program designed to get kids off to a good start in kindergarten, and be more proficient in reading by the end of third grade. Connolly said that’s vital to graduation and later success.
Covington paid a license for an early literacy app, which includes Footsteps to Brilliance and Clever Kids University.
The alphabet tours are a big part of the program. Secured to poles at a child’s eye level, each sign features a word and a picture for each letter of the alphabet. They target children up to the third grade.
Five sets of 26 signs line streets across different parts of the city in the Peaselburg, Eastside/Austinburg, Westside/Lewisburg, West Latonia neighborhoods, and downtown Covington.
Over the last two years, hundreds of kids have collected the words as part of a word-walk scavenger hunt. Passports in both English and Spanish are available for kids to fill out.
“They fill out their passport for each one of the signs. They draw out the picture, fill in the rest of the word,” Connolly said.
The booklets, available through Read Ready Covington, feature maps where kids can find the signs, and include writing and drawing activities related to each sign.
Kids can turn in the passports at the public library on Scott Boulevard for awards. Parents can also learn about summer programs by scanning QR codes on the signs.
“A family can simply pull their smart phone up, click on that, and it will open up,” Connolly said. “It’s the family engagement. It’s the fun they have together. And it’s encouraging, like I said, that curiosity, and following directions.”
The fact that people are taking them and damaging them is a little discouraging, Connolly said, not only for the kids, but for public works, which have run out of replacement signs.
Connolly is asking that people keep a lookout, and let her know about vandalism and thefts to prevent any future learning opportunities for kids from falling into the wrong hands.
In some more encouraging news, Connolly said a family has offered to cover the cost to replace the 11 needed signs, which amounts to hundreds of dollars.
If you see anyone tampering with the signs, call Mary Kay Connolly at (859) 292-2301, or email her at mkconnolly@covingtonky.gov.
