Parents, caregivers, educators, and community advocates gathered at St. Francis Children’s Center in Milwaukee for an Ed Talk featuring Maya Payne Smart, author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six.
Laura Felix, executive director of St. Francis, opened the event by sharing the inspiring history of the center. Founded in 1968 by Sister Joanne Marie Kliebhan and Eli Tash, St. Francis was a trailblazer in inclusive education, where children with special needs could learn alongside their peers—a groundbreaking idea at the time. Today, the center continues its mission, serving over 1,200 children in Milwaukee County with programs like:
- Birth to Three Program: In-home early intervention therapy services, supporting development from the start.
- Children’s Long-Term Support Waiver: Service coordination for 660 families to access essential funding.
- Early Childhood Center: NAEYC-accredited, state-licensed childcare that’s expanding soon.
- Family Activity Center: Free programming to break down isolation, with support groups and activities for siblings of children with special needs.
Judge Derek Mosley introduced Maya, who delivered an urgent message on the early literacy crisis. Reading from her book, Maya emphasized that literacy foundations are set long before school begins—starting in infancy, when a million new neural connections form every second. She urged parents to make literacy a daily, interactive process, not just reading stories but also engaging in meaningful, back-and-forth conversations with kids from birth.
The event transitioned into a lively Q&A, where parents and educators raised questions about fostering literacy while managing language barriers, time pressures, and the need for educator support. Maya offered practical advice, emphasizing that building strong literacy skills can start small, even with simple daily conversations. One parent of a first grader worried about falling behind was reassured: it’s never too late to make a difference—foundational skills can be nurtured at any stage.
Before signing copies of Reading for Our Lives, Maya encouraged attendees to tap into local resources like libraries and to connect with other parents for shared support. The St. Francis Children’s Center and Maya Smart’s partnership served as a powerful call to action: prioritize reading and communication to build a literate, empowered generation.
Maya Payne Smart is a parent educator, literacy advocate, and the author of Reading for Our Lives: A Literacy Action Plan from Birth to Six (Avery/Penguin Random House). She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in social studies with honors from Harvard University. She serves as affiliated faculty in Educational Policy and Leadership in the College of Education at Marquette University.