Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nazarenko is seated on a tiny stool, reading a Llama Llama book to a class of under-5s at Easterseals Child Development Center in Ventura.
Nazarenko manages the prosecution of about 25,000 cases annually — from gang crimes to narcotics trafficking — but these young kids don’t care; they just want to showcase their learning to their visitors.
"I bet they have no idea who the district attorney is or what they do, and that's a good thing," laughed Nazarenko.
"What I want them to see is how infectious books actually are. The pictures build imagination, they fuel creativity, and they give kids a break from just the daily saturation of screen time. This is how we develop healthy human beings," he said.
"The earlier you are exposed to reading and books, the more you will value education, gravitate towards it. And really be productive members of society."
This is part of First 5 Ventura County’s early literacy campaign called Take 5 and Read. It’s a way to raise awareness of the importance of reading to young children, explains Lysa Urban from First 5 Ventura County.
"Research shows that from birth to age five, children's brains grow 90%," Urban said. "And if you don't catch the opportunity to read to them, talk with them, sing, dance with them, and engage with them, you're missing that opportunity to build their brain strength, which really empowers their emotional literacy and their capabilities later in life in school and success in life."
The organization has been around for 25 years, and aims to reach VCs’ 55,000 children aged 5 and younger.
"First 5 was established back when California taxpayers passed Proposition 10 in 1998, putting a tax on tobacco. Tobacco tax funding started 58 First 5 commissions throughout the state of California, with First 5 Ventura County being one of those 58 commissions," explained Urban. "Our funding comes from the tobacco tax revenue, and the good news is that less people are smoking. The bad news is that means there's a little bit less tax revenue to fund the first five years."
Nazarenko is one of several high-profile readers taking part in the campaign, and looking to inspire a generation of lifelong readers.
As well as classroom readings, there are also events open to the public:
- Fillmore Library, 502 2nd St., Fillmore – May 6th at 10:30 a.m.
- Grant R. Brimhall Library, 1401 E. Janss Rd., Thousand Oaks – May 7th at 10:15 a.m.
- Hill Road Library, 1070 S. Hill Rd., Ventura – May 6th at 10:30 a.m.
- Moorpark City Library, 699 Moorpark Ave., Moorpark – May 6th at 10:30 a.m.
- Ojai Library, 111 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai – May 6th at 10:30 a.m.
- Ray D. Prueter Library, 510 Park Ave., Port Hueneme – May 5th at 10:30 a.m.
- Saticoy Library, 1292 Los Angeles Ave., Ventura – May 5th at 10 a.m.
