Arsht-Cannon Fund Brings Nemours BrightStart! Dyslexia Initiative to Delaware

The Arsht-Cannon Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation has announced a gift of $300,000 over three years to the Nemours Partnership for Children’s Health to bring the innovative Nemours BrightStart! Dyslexia Initiative to Delaware.  By far the most common learning disability, dyslexia is characterized by marked difficulty with reading and spelling. Nemours BrightStart! provides a range of programs, products and services to help parents, schools and communities prepare all young children for future reading success, with a special focus on struggling, at-risk young learners.

When the Arsht-Cannon Fund advisors discovered the Nemours BrightStart! initiative, they were intrigued by the early childhood approach to screening and intervention for children at risk for reading failure. “Helping children early on, before they even start school, who might otherwise struggle with reading their whole lives - that was exciting. I wanted to help the program grow,” says Adrienne Arsht, advisor to the Arsht-Cannon Fund.  “Because the mission of Arsht-Cannon includes a focus on the Hispanic population in Delaware,” Ms. Arsht added, “we are especially eager to make an impact for Hispanic children here, to replicate the promising work that has been done with Nemours BrightStart! in Florida.”

The Arsht-Cannon Fund gift will enable a Nemours BrightStart! mobile van to traverse Delaware, raising awareness about the causes and solutions for reading failure. Generally, dyslexia describes a bright mind that learns differently. By bringing together pediatric specialists in brain science, researchers and early learning experts, Nemours has pioneered a one-of-a-kind program in greater Jacksonville, FL, that identifies children who are at risk for reading failure, links them with intensive intervention and monitors their progress. Nemours BrightStart! services also include workshops for parents, teachers, child care providers and health care professionals, as well as community forums to raise awareness of the condition.

Dr. Laura Bailet, Nemours BrightStart! executive director, said:  “We are proud of early success with the program in Florida and are dedicated to extending it to more places, starting with Delaware. Nemours BrightStart! shows great promise for having a positive impact on children’s learning and academic success.“

“The causes that interest me are diverse but close to my heart,” said Ms. Arsht. “Although dyslexia makes learning in the usual way difficult, it does not have to be a barrier to success.  Parents should not have lower expectations for a child with dyslexia, including parents who are not native English speakers. I am thankful that I can help provide needed resources.”