By
Nathan T. Prewett | nprewett@al.com
The Birmingham News
on November 30, 2012 at 1:25 PM, updated November 30, 2012 at 4:21 PM
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BIRMINGHAM,
Alabama – The kids and staff of PreSchool Partners gathered outside
the school Friday afternoon to dedicate the garden that they planted, but this wasn’t just any garden.
This was the Literacy Garden, with 26 different
kinds of plants, each one representing a letter of the alphabet. The goal is to help the kids learn their ABCs.
PreSchool Partners is a program that was started 17 years ago at St. Luke’s Episcopal
Church, said the Rev. Rich Webster, who is the rector at the church.
“The Literacy
Garden is indicative of creativity and of ideas when people from different
communities come together,” Webster said. “It embodies that spirit.”
PreSchool Partners is a non-profit
program that takes “at risk” 3- to 4-year-old children from underserved
neighborhoods. The aim of the program is to get them ready for kindergarten and
onward. There are 70 students and 12 teachers and assistants on the staff.
The plants were azalea, butterfly bush
birdhouse, cabbage cane flower, Dahlia daisy, elephant ear, fern, gardenia
ginger lily, hydrangea, ivy, juniper, kale kiwi vine, laureus, mum marigold,
nandina, oregano, pansy pitcher plant, Queen Ann’s lace, rose, sage sedge
grass, tulip, umbrella plant, violas verbena, wisteria windsock, Mondo grass
(in “X” shape), yarrow and zinnia.
“We’re really excited,” said Lella
Hamiter, “the school’s executive director. “It’s important because these
kids come from unsafe neighborhoods where they aren’t able to play outdoors. The Literacy Garden will allow them to have hands on learning experiences outside while also reinforcing letter recognition and enriching our curriculum.”
Webster spoke to the kids as he
dedicated the garden, encouraging them to continue being creative and
imaginative. Afterwards they sang the “ABC Song” with Webster.
The Literacy Garden was funded by a Tablescapes luncheon held by the Episcopal Church Women of Saint Luke’s. Plants
were donated from Oak Street Garden Shoppe, Portera Landscaping, Sweet Peas
Garden Shop, Hanna’s Garden Shop and Home Depot. The Literacy Council of Central
Alabama donated books to the school’s library.
PreSchool
Partners is located on 4565 Montevallo Road in Birmingham. For more information,
visit www.preschool-partners.org.
This article was edited to correct several mistakes. PreSchool Partners has only one location. The Literacy Garden was started recently and the school itself founded 17 years ago.
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