Childhood literacy program to expand after Birmingham approves funding
The city of Birmingham has committed $1 million to expanding Birmingham Talks, a citywide program promoting early childhood literacy. With the funding, the organization is expected to more than triple its reach from 1,000 to 3,500 students across all 99 neighborhoods over the next three years.
“By 2025, approximately 20% of children who start school in Birmingham City Schools will have participated in one of these programs,” said Birmingham Talks Executive Director Ruth Ann Moss. “Funds from the city will go to scaling our program to provide more curriculum, more technology, more coaching, and then also high-quality books and educational toys for all the children who participate.”
Birmingham Talks, founded in 2019 and initially funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, provides personalized coaching and technology to parents, caregivers, teachers and child care centers to assist the development of vocabulary in children aged 0 to 5.
At a press conference Tuesday, Moss showed a toddler’s onesie with a specialized pocket for a “Fitbit for words” — a small piece of technology that records the number of words children are hearing and the number of times they interact with adults.
“Way before kids can pick up a pen or read a Russian novel, their brains are built by having verbal interactions with adults,” Moss said. “Children need to hear about 21,000 words a day for optimal brain development, and children who grow up in poverty are typically exposed to 4 million fewer words than their more affluent peers.”
Data generated by the “Fitbit for words” is used to create a strategy for increasing a child’s verbalization.
According to a press release from Birmingham Talks, “children who started the program in lower-talk environments increased the amount of conversation they were exposed to by approximately 50% over the course of 12 weeks.”
“When they get to school, at minimum they’ll be at grade level,” said Mayor Randall Woodfin, who added that he hopes the funding announcement “is a message to philanthropic leaders around the country: if you invest in Birmingham, we will build on that investment.”
President Trump to add his own name to the Kennedy Center
The arts institution will be called the Trump-Kennedy Center. The president's press secretary said it comes after a unanimous vote by the center's board, which Trump took over earlier this year.
Mangione pre-trial hearing wraps, but judge won’t rule on evidence for months
After three weeks of testimony, a judge will now rule on whether evidence found in Mangione's backpack can be used in his state trial for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Lucy Liu on ‘Rosemead,’ rejection and returning to Mandarin
The child of Chinese immigrants, Liu didn't learn English until she was 5. She plays a terminally ill woman grappling with her teenage son's mental health crisis in Rosemead.
Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ breaks an all-time chart record
With Carey's enduring Christmas hit, we may be looking at a record that borders on the untouchable.
Austrian nuns await word from the Vatican on whether they can stay in their convent
The three octogenarian nuns broke out of a nursing home to go back to live in their convent, sparking a dispute with their church superior. Both sides have appealed to the Vatican for a resolution.
From toddlers to teens, here’s your one-stop shop for young readers
If you have kids in your life who are ready to broaden their book horizons we have recommendations for you! Here you'll find tried-and-true picture books, chapter books, and YA, all published in 2025.
