Prime Time Program Helps Omaha Kids Improve in School

Prime Time Family and Prime Time Preschool will be offered this semester at ten Omaha locations. Both are Humanities Nebraska (www.HumanitiesNebraska.org) family literacy programs that help strengthen participants’ interest and skills in reading and talking about books. Each session is a free six-week program that begins with a light meal and continues with storytelling and discussion based on award-winning children’s books. Prime Time Family is for families with children ages six to 10 who struggle with reading, and it includes special activities for siblings ages three to five. Prime Time Preschool is for families who want their children to develop reading readiness skills. Six sessions are bilingual (Spanish and English), and one session focuses on Native American stories and legends. The first seven sessions scheduled include:

  • Thursdays at 5 p.m., January 31– March 7: Learning Community Center of South Omaha, (simultaneous family and preschool sessions)
  • Saturdays at 9:30 a.m., March 9–April 13: Girls, Inc., North Omaha (English)
  • Thursdays at 5:30 p.m., March 21–May 2: Spring Lake Elementary (Bilingual)
  • Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., April 2–May 7: Completely KIDS (Bilingual)
  • Tuesdays (time TBD), April 2–7: May Ponca Tribe (Native American)
  • Tuesdays at 5 p.m., April 2–May 7: Gilder Elementary (Bilingual)

Dates and times for four additional Omaha area sites will be announced soon. Prime Time is offered without cost to families thanks to generous statewide sponsors including the State of Nebraska, Nebraska Cultural Endowment, Carol Gendler, and an anonymous foundation. The Completely KIDS session received additional funding from Omahans Mary and Rodrigo Lopez.

Teachers who are interested in recommending families for Prime Time should contact one of the sites listed above and ask to speak with the Prime Time coordinator. For more information about Prime Time in Nebraska, visit the Humanities Nebraska website, www.HumanitiesNebraska.org, and select “Prime Time” from the programs list.