North Star Academy is hosting a free literacy masterclass for families of preschoolers today, Wednesday, Nov. 15, at its Clinton Hill campus in Newark’s South Ward.

The class, which will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., is open to all families of preschoolers and includes childcare and dinner as well as a book giveaway and literacy-at-home resources.

“As an educator and former Newark school principal, I know the connection between childhood reading proficiency, high school graduation and life success with meaningful, productive employment,” said Mayor Ras Baraka, who is encouraging families to attend the class.

Studies show that when parents read at least one book daily to their children, they are exposed to 296,660 more words a day before they enter kindergarten than those who do not. Children who have abundant opportunities to interact with language from infancy to early elementary school are more likely to develop into skilled and fluent readers.

Cosponsored by Partners in Promise, the class will be led by South Ward Native Na’Jee Carter, a regional superintendent at Uncommon Schools who manages elementary school principals in both Camden and Newark and spent several years as principal of North Star’s Alexander Street Elementary School. Uncommon Schools operates both North Star Academy in Newark and Camden Prep, a renaissance school in Camden.

During the workshop, Carter will discuss the importance of reading to preschoolers and provide techniques and tips for reading to young children.

“We want to help parents feel more confident reinforcing literacy at home,” Carter said. “We know how important early reading is for academic success. I am thrilled to partner with parents and families beyond those at North Star to share some strategies parents can use with their kids at home and to give out books to our early readers.”

Carter has extensive experience in literacy. In his first year as a principal at Alexander Street in 2014, 100% of fourth-grade boys scored proficient on the ELA portion of the state test.

Carter said children from birth to four years old benefit from exposure to words and language.

“The simple act of talking to your child daily and reading to your child will help expand his or her vocabulary, which will foster early reading,” Carter said. “This translates to better academic performance when children reach kindergarten.”

Registration in advance is not required for the class. Clinton Hill Middle School is located at 600 Clinton Avenue in Newark.