Cumberland County Schools hosted a virtual Cumberland Family Academy master class featuring children’s author and Clemson University assistant professor Dr. Kimberly Johnson, who gave parents step‑by‑step advice for building a love of reading at home.

The session, introduced by Lindsey Whitley, associate superintendent for communications and community engagement for Cumberland County Schools, offered practical activities that families can use immediately — from spelling games with household items to using cereal boxes and sticky notes to build vocabulary and engagement.

"Families remember you're the best of the best," Dr. Kimberly Johnson said, urging caregivers to see themselves as “the first teachers in a young person’s life.” Johnson noted she has written 22 children’s books and co‑authored It Starts With Me with Dr. Bernice A. King.

Johnson outlined a short set of habits she said families can adopt: aim for 15–20 minutes of shared or independent reading nightly when feasible; make literacy part of day‑to‑day tasks (reading labels, maps, instructions); and use inexpensive materials (index cards, crayons, cereal boxes) to create word and spelling games. "A few minutes is better than 0 minutes," she said when recommending nightly reading time.

She presented the IPC method — "imagination, participation, and commitment" — as a framework to spark and sustain reading: use imaginative play to connect to text, invite children to describe and participate in stories, then build routines so the activity becomes a habit. Johnson also recommended swapping simple words for richer vocabulary during daily conversations to expand children’s word banks.

Johnson demonstrated classroom techniques that parents can adapt at home, including simple gestures and games for teaching higher‑order words (for example, using a visual cue to teach the word bevy as a “flock of birds”) and a quick vocabulary quiz to model engagement. She stressed that children can learn more advanced words if given age‑appropriate support: "If they can handle the word, give them the word," she said.

The session encouraged using community resources, such as public libraries and small free book exchanges, and suggested family activities like neighborhood book drives. Johnson also mentioned a free mobile app, Everyday Coaches 365, as a place where she will share tips and short prompts for families.

Lindsey Whitley closed the session by telling viewers the presentation will be available afterward on the district’s social channels. "You will be able to come back here to our Facebook page and find tonight's session in its entirety," Whitley said.

The presentation focused on practical, low‑cost strategies and family routines; it did not include policy proposals, budget decisions or formal actions by the school system.