Communicating With Young Children and Promoting Literacy Skills

Kathy Walter-Mack is a longtime Kansas City educational administrator who engages with the Metropolitan Community College as associate vice chancellor of human resources and as chief of staff. Kathy Walter-Mack has been involved in her community for a number of years, volunteering with Kansas City Hospice and with Reach Out and Read. Extending nationwide, the latter nonprofit was established at Boston City Hospital in the late 1980s and is a strong advocate of childhood literacy.

A recent Reach Out and Read article focused on the importance of parents taking the initiative and becoming their infant’s first teacher on the road to literacy. The first few years are critical in the development of learning habits that last a lifetime. Significant growth occurs in the baby’s brain in a short space of time, with receptiveness extending to everything seen and heard.

Talking, singing, and reading to the pre-verbal child directly affects the facility with words he or she possesses when entering school. The more the child has been exposed to a variety of words and sounds, the better he or she will be able to adapt and take these skills to the next level: reading with enjoyment and a sense of exploration.

Majors and Internships at the Kansas City Art Institute

A graduate of DePaul University, Kathy Walter-Mack is an experienced attorney who has served as Metropolitan Community College’s chief of staff to the chancellor and associate vice chancellor of human resources for more than five years. In addition to her professional work, Kathy Walter-Mack is an active member of her community and serves as a board member of the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI).

An accredited four-year college of art and design, KCAI was established 1885. Founded as a local sketch club, KCAI has been at its current location next to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art since 1927 and has taught artists like Robert Morris and Walt Disney. Throughout its history, KCAI has been dedicated to providing innovative, interesting programs taught by experienced, engaged teachers.

With 13 areas of emphasis for its bachelor of fine arts degree, KCAI offers major programs ranging from animation and creative writing to photography and sculpture. Although they are not required by all majors, KCAI encourages all students to participate in at least one internship prior to graduation. Whether students work with nonprofit organizations for social practice internships or work with full-time employees for professional internships, they must meet a number of eligibility requirements, including a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and the completion of the sophomore-level studio course.