Investing in early literacy is a passion for Cathy Seilhan. Arkansas Community Foundation makes it possible for her to invest in children’s future.
“When I was little, my parents and grandparents would read to me, tell me stories and nursery rhymes. We went to the library and our birthday and Christmases always included books,” said Cathy Seilhan. “My dad made up games to play, re-enacting stories like The Gingerbread Man. I remember my first cookbook in the first grade. I was already reading for pleasure as well as for information. The love of reading that my family set forth by example led me to a desire to understand how children acquire language and literacy — and I came to realize that not every family has family routines like ours — such as a nightly bedtime story — and that I was really very lucky.”
Cathy Cole Seilhan, a retired teacher and resident of Fayetteville, is a fundholder at Arkansas Community Foundation. Through her philanthropy, she is a tireless proponent of improving literacy and childhood development efforts for Arkansas. And her passion is well informed.
“The science backs it up,” she said. “Nobel Prize winner James Heckman’s research shows the connections between early childhood development and improved economic outcomes. Children who are exposed to reading at
a very young age, including infancy, grow up to have higher salaries, less disease, lower incarceration, and overall healthier lives than children who don’t.
“But the more impressive benefits of early literacy interventions are the soft, cognitive skills and emotional regulation,” Cathy continued. “Humans are wired to connect with each other. When babies and young children are hearing and playing with sounds and stories, the ‘serve and return’ between them and their caregiver literally grows the neural connections in the brain. That leads to flourishing minds.”
Cathy and her husband, Denton, moved to Fayetteville in 2019 and soon began searching for local and statewide causes to support. “I was invited by Jody Dilday to the Community Foundation’s local Philanthropy Club,” Cathy said. “I attended regularly but mostly just listened for the first year. Through my relationship with Jody and exposure to local causes, and from my own research on literacy interventions, I eventually felt ready to begin investing. I shared these ideas and the research with my husband, Denton. We dove in together.
“He didn’t know any of the brain science before but understood quickly. He realized it was one of, if not the most impactful investment a society can make. Reading creates a citizenry that is engaged. People are kinder, and if people can critically think as well as hold compassion and empathy for their fellow human — we have the groundwork for an informed and caring society.”
The couple initially invested together in local libraries. “Oh, I just can’t stress enough the importance of a good local library and librarians. They hold so much wonderful information and create opportunities for entire families to be engaged,” Cathy said.
The Seilhan Fund has supported a variety of causes in addition to local libraries: Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Canopy NWA, CASA of Northwest Arkansas and most recently, UAMS and the work of Dr. Nikki Edge who focuses on interventions in early care and education settings designed to build social and emotional skills in young children.
“Literacy isn’t just about reading,” she said. “It’s about listening, imagining, thinking, dreaming, questioning, and saying ‘prove this.’ It’s also about learning that others have different perspectives that are worth paying attention to. It’s about learning how to be in the world.
“I hope that people will think in terms of more than just how money can improve early literacy — actions are critical — such as volunteering in a local daycare center or public school. Investing in early literacy also means investing our time, energy and attention,” Cathy said. “And that investment will provide returns that are impactful to us all.”