Joe McMahon sees dramatic differences among children's readiness for kindergarten -- mainly, he said, because they come from a wide variety of socioeconomic situations.

"Some children come in and don't know how to use scissors, haven't ever touched a computer screen, and have no book sense, meaning where it starts, ends and how to hold it," said the principal at Eastgate Elementary in East Helena, "while other children come in reading at a secondgrade level."

McMahon is a member of the Tri-County School Readiness team, a group composed of principals, teachers, Head Start members and Childcare Partnerships staff. It's a collaborative effort to try to help families, communities and schools be prepared for school.

The team has planned events this week during the national Week of the Young Child, which begins today.

Patty Dahl, director of Head Start and co-facilitator of the team, said this year's focus is encouraging parents to read and talk with their children.

"Television screens are never going to be the same as the direct contact you can provide to your child," she said.

Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley, authors of "Meaningful Differences," say some children will arrive at kindergarten having heard 32 million fewer words than their classmates.

They conducted a nationwide, 2.5 year study recording one hour of every spoken word at home between parent and child in 42 families categorized as professional, working class or welfare families.

Hart and Risley found a difference of almost 1,500 words spoken per hour between professional and welfare parents.

They conclude that a child's exposure to language influences long-term learning, and parents can give their children a better chance to be successful in school and life by spending time and talking to them.

Ruth McDonough, a speech and language pathologist for the Helena School District, agrees.

"Language is the basis for all learning," she said. "Exposing them to language helps them to be better learners, better communicators and better readers."

It starts from day one, McDonough said, because babies hear voices in their environment when all those connections are beginning to be made in their brain.

She suggests reading small books to babies and talking about their environment with them.

"Oh, 'say what they see,' as the saying goes," McDonough said. "Giving words to everything that's around them."

McMahon said that nationally, there needs to be more emphasis on vocabulary instruction.

"It takes an effort by everybody to stop and take the time to teach the vocabulary words," he said. "It's the key to (student) success."

Week of the Young Child

Parents, caregivers, and children 5 and younger are invited to participate in the following events. Children will have an opportunity to listen to a story and take home a book while supplies last.

Reading in the Rotunda

Montana State Capitol Building

Thursday: 9-11 a.m.

The following schedule is for preschool story hours, which are open to all area preschool children.

Helena Public Elementary Schools

Smith -- Monday: 11-11:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to noon

Four Georgians -- Thursday: 2-2:30 p.m.

Rossiter -- Friday: 10-11 a.m.

Hawthorne -- Friday: 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Kessler -- Tuesday: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Central -- Tuesday: 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Warren -- Tuesday: 2-3 p.m.

Broadwater -- Tuesday: 10-11 a.m.

East Helena Public Schools

Eastgate -- Wednesday: 10:15-11 a.m.

Radley -- Thursday: 10:30-11:15 a.m.

East Valley Middle School -- Wednesday: 2:30-3 p.m.

Lewis and Clark Public Library

Preschool Story Hour -- Wednesday and Thursday weekly: 10:30-11 a.m. and 1:30-2: p.m.

Lincoln

Lincoln School -- Tuesday: 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. in kindergarten room

Lincoln Public Library -- Thursday: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Boulder Public Library -- Thursday: 10:30 a.m.

Whitehall Library -- Wednesday: Call library for times

Townsend Library -- Tuesday: 10-11 a.m.

Clancy Library -- Wednesday: 10-10:30 a.m.

Reporter Alana Listoe: 447-4081 or alana.listoe@helenair.com