Why was Utah first lady Abby Cox in South Salt Lake reading 'Pete the Cat?'

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah first lady Abby Cox spent part of her morning Tuesday encircled by about a dozen kids and reading, out loud, "Pete the Cat."

Cox is a storytelling vet. As a mother, a former special education teacher and a vocal early literacy advocate, the first lady has years of experience pulling out a chair, cracking open a book and reading to children.

But Tuesday's audience was unique. The little ones listening to "Pete the Cat" belong to Utah families currently experiencing homelessness.

Cox and representatives from the Utah Office of Homeless Services gathered for storytime at The Road Home's Family Interim Non-Congregate Housing facility in South Salt Lake, where the kids and their families are residing until they can find permanent housing.

The purpose of the first lady's visit: Celebrate the joy of reading and the importance of early childhood literacy for every Utah child, regardless of circumstances.

Employees from Utah's Department of Workforce Services reportedly collected about 9,000 books for the first lady's book drive to be distributed to young people at local family shelters such as the South Salt Lake facility — a converted motel accommodating dozens of families.

The media was not included Tuesday in the first lady's story-time session at the South Salt Lake family facility held in conjunction with the book donation. But outside the facility's community center, Cox reported that working with local family shelters is a key element of Utah's broad literacy initiative.

"We want to make sure that every child has access to reading, and that begins with literacy," said Cox. "It begins with them having actual books and having access to books."

Age-appropriate books are scarce in many Utah homes, she added. "So it's really important for each of us to get involved to make sure that every child has access to books."

For Utah families experiencing homelessness, accessing shelter and food are, of course, primary priorities. But Cox asserted that providing kids with books, and then teaching them to read, is also essential.

"Literacy is the great equalizer," she added. "We have to get kids out of poverty by giving them a great education and the access to literacy. That's a huge game changer for kids."

Cox: Discover the joys of reading to kids

For Cox, reading to the kids at South Salt Lake's Road Home facility on Tuesday triggered a bit of story-time nostalgia from her own childhood.

"I will never hear 'Winnie the Pooh' and not hear my dad's voice doing Eeyore," she said. "Those are beautiful family moments that I will treasure from my family."

Each one of the kids at South Salt Lake Road Home left Tuesday's story time with the first lady with a stack of books that they can read again and again with their own families.

Now it's Cox's wish for every young Utah family to share books together.

"I get that parents are busy and I get that there are moments where it's just too much and you don't have 10-15 minutes to sit down with your kids at night," she said. "But there are also moments in everyday life with your kids when you can read. Everything counts."

Opening doors through youth literacy

Tyler Clancy, a state lawmaker who serves as Utah's state homeless coordinator, told the Deseret News that Utah families experiencing homelessness are enduring simultaneous layers of hardship.

And learning to read, he added, is a key step in overcoming such challenges.

"Youth literacy opens so many doors later in life, including economic mobility and gainful employment," said Clancy. "Those are the things that we hope to help people achieve.

"At the Office of Homeless Services, we want to help Utahns provide more than just a roof over people's heads by providing launchpads to help make homelessness rare."

Early literacy, he added, "is a core component of those success metrics going forward."

Road Home Executive Director Michelle Flynn said Tuesday that early literacy is pivotal in helping Utah families move beyond homelessness.

Displaced children need opportunities to keep pace with their peers, including reading opportunities.

"We want them to have books that they can bring in when it's book day at school so that they can talk about it in class when their teacher asks who is reading a great book," said Flynn.

"It means so much to us to have this kind of experience."

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