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As I was flying home from Maryland after having visited relatives and gorged myself on way too much pie, I had the luck to sit next to a wonderful family of four. A mother, a father, a little four year-old boy and his sister, aged two.

First, the boy and his father sat next to me. They played a few games together on their iPad (all apps, I noticed, that we at the library recommend for young children). They were wonderful to listen to (admittedly, I was asleep through most of the father/son interaction – like I said, a lot of pie had been eaten!) — but the real treat came at the end of the flight when the mother and daughter switched to the seats next to me.

They also spent some time on the iPad, though the apps were different and much more developmentally appropriate for her. Again, there was lots of conversation being had, lots of counting, talking about animals, telling stories, laughter and smiles! Then the iPad was put away and a favorite book was brought out that had to do with rock and roll animals (who wouldn’t love that!). They read the book together, always taking time to stop and talk about the pictures in the book. At one point, the little girl even counted to ten in English and Spanish just for the fun of it!

My little librarian heart just soared listening to them having so much fun with literacy! Finally, at the end of plane ride, I began talking to the mother and wouldn’t you know it – she was a librarian too! She said she was an elementary and teen librarian and hadn’t had an opportunity to work in early literacy but had been going to classes and workshops at her library ever since her children had been born. Then she said something that I’ve heard before but I guess I’d never really heard until then.

She loved how intentional one can be with early literacy, and when that intentionality is focused on, how much more fun the process becomes for both her and her child. And they really were just having tons of fun, living in the moment and enjoying each other’s company. As a result, I was having tons of fun just listening to them!

Children grow up so fast and life can be so hectic that this sense of intentionality or purposefulness can sometimes be hard to find. I have a hard time finding it in the busy-ness of my work day. But her statement and her actions reminded me that finding even a little bit goes a long way. So I treat it like meditation. Before each story time or when I see a child approaching the desk, I take a breath and remember my purpose. My purpose is not something I will get to tomorrow or when my to-do list is clear. It is right now, with this child, this parent, and this moment.

How do you demonstrate intentional early literacy with your families?

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Our guest blogger today is Lisa Bubert. Lisa is a Youth Services Librarian with the Frisco Public Library in Frisco, TX. Early literacy and writing are her two passions and she enjoys taking any opportunity to put them together.

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

The post Making Early Literacy an Intentional Act appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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Did you know that a well-child visit to the doctor’s office can also help to promote early literacy and school readiness? It can if your well-child appointment is with one of the 5,200 medical providers who participate in the Reach Out and Read Program.

One new Reach Out and Read Program site, the Bethesda Family Practice in Cincinnati, Ohio, reached out to their local Norwood Branch Library, which is a medium-sized branch in the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County system, for assistance in setting up their waiting room Literacy Corner. The Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County’s Marketing department donated full-color literacy posters with Book Suggestions for Babies and Toddlers and a growth chart on the side. Also displayed in the Literacy Corner is the current monthly calendar of events and story times available at the Norwood Branch Library. This is just one example of how children’s librarians can reach out to their communities to promote early childhood literacy. Try sending area medical providers an email directing them to the Reach Out and Read website at http://www.reachoutandread.org/.

As recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Reach Out and Read incorporates early literacy into pediatric practice, by integrating children’s books and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud into well-child visits. Reach Out and Read builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early reading skills in children.

Reach Out and Read serves more than 4 million children and their families annually. Currently, Reach Out and Read partners with more than 5,200 program sites and distributes 6.5 million books per year. The program serves more than one-third of all children living in poverty in this country, and continues to grow each year with the vision that one day the Reach Out and Read model will be a part of every young child’s checkups.

The Reach Out and Read model for literacy promotion has three key elements:

• Primary care providers (doctors, NPs, PAs and RNs) are trained to deliver early literacy guidance to parents of children 6 months through 5 years of age during each well-child visit. This age-appropriate guidance centers on the importance of: frequent and early exposure to language, looking at board books and naming pictures with infants, rhyme and repetition for gaining phonemic awareness during toddlerhood, and reading interactively (such as using open-ended questions) when reading with preschoolers.
• During well-child visits for children ages 6 months through 5 years, the provider gives the child a new, developmentally-appropriate book to take home, building a collection of 10 new books in the home before the child goes to kindergarten. The provider also repeatedly prescribes reading aloud, every day.
• Reach Out and Read program sites also create literacy-rich environments that may include gently-used books for waiting room use or for siblings to take home. In some waiting rooms, Reach Out and Read volunteers model for parents the pleasures and techniques of reading aloud to very young children.

Reach Out and Read is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the Literacy Partner American Academy of Family Physicians and is a Library of Congress David M. Rubenstein Prize 2013 Award Winner. For more information visit http://www.reachoutandread.org/.

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Debbie Anderson is a Children’s Librarian at the Norwood Branch Library of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County in Ohio, and she is writing this post for the Public Awareness Committee. You can reach her at [email protected].

The post Reach Out and Read Promotes Early Childhood Literacy appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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Are you thinking of incorporating play spaces into your library, designing a new library space or something in between?  If you are looking for a good place to start, some research to support play and steps to take to make it all happen, you might be having a hard time.

When I first started working to incorporate play in libraries 5 years ago there were little to no resources on how play might look in a library or how to get started. Since then there have been many ground breaking libraries who have presented conference sessions, written blog posts and posted information on webpages. Then the second edition of Every Child Ready to Read, released in 2011 included a great module on Learning Spaces in Libraries. Over the years, information has become easier to find as research on the value of play has become an important message in early literacy.  Best practices, ideas for types of play and practical steps for incorporating play in libraries are harder to find.

“The Power of Play: Designing Early Learning Spaces” by Dorothy Stoltz, Maria Conner and James Bradberry is a great resource no matter how big or small your learning space project.  This practical guide provides research in support of play, steps to creating play spaces, planning guides, examples of play spaces and management tips.  The information in this book is applicable to any size library or play space project and highlights how these spaces are supported by research and early literacy goals. It is to read from cover to cover or to use as a step by step guide. I wish I had something like this when I was getting started!

I love this empowering excerpt from the book that highlights the true power of play.

“Play is a first step in life by which a child can mature into a thinking person….Although play is important, it is not an end in itself, or a time for avoiding chores or ignoring others. Play is “a jumping-off place” that can set in motion the possibility of learning. Socrates set the tone for this kind of play in his debate on the virtues of citizenship in The Republic. He asks Adeimantus to reflect on how the serious play of philosophical leaders who encourage original thought compares to the common play among certain tyrannical political leaders who are interested in manipulating and controlling the crowd. Socrates guides his student to think about how a city or society pursuing noble virtues compares to the individual doing the same—that unless play from earliest childhood is noble a man will never become good.  Plato likewise engages in noble play through his dialogues with his fellow readers to pursue the knowledge of the “Good.” He distinguishes between good play—that which leads to the good—and bad play—that which diverts the learner from this goal.”

You can purchase “The Power of Play: Designing Early Learning Spaces” from the ALA Store at http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=11157

 

The post New Resource for creating Play Spaces in Libraries! appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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It is that time of year again. The upcoming Youth Media Awards, announced at this year’s Midwinter conference in Chicago, always generate a lot of excitement. Many of us in the world of children’s books have been reading all year, along with our award committees. There is speculation, discussion, anticipation. We take pride in our Association’s role in seeing the best in children’s literature take its place in the cannon alongside the classics of our own childhoods. The Youth Media Award announcements are the highlight of the conference for many.

While our role in media evaluation is critical to our mission and purpose, the recent terrific buzz generated from the NPR story on EVERY CHILD READY TO READ was welcome and important. Libraries play a critical role in early education and in improving the literacy skills of young children. While this is widely known in library circles and is gaining visibility in educational fields, the public continues to leave the library out of the business of early literacy.

Our colleagues in Carroll County, Maryland have been doing this great work in early literacy for years and many of us around the country are using the five literacy practices outlined in ECRR2 in our daily work. In collaboration with our PLA colleagues, we have created an easily incorporated set of important, useful practices that will provide the basis for early literacy in a variety of environments that fit all our communities we serve.

The amazing EVERYDAY ADOVACY website continues to help us all in putting our value front and center to our communities. Wonderful press like the NPR piece on ECRR2 brings our contributions the lives of our families to a national level. Our communities understand our value when we are able to articulate it succinctly and sincerely. Make sure all our families know that our work extends past the august awards we bestow and leave as legacy to children’s literature. Equally important is our role in the lives of our youngest customers and ensuring that there are readers who will grow up to discover the wondrous treasures waiting for them.

The post Rewarding Awards appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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Sharing books with very young children is important. The simple act of reading aloud to them, consistently, builds their language and socio-emotional skills. Children who enter kindergarten with these skills in place are most likely to thrive.

Libraries have, for years, acted on this knowledge in order to help children get ready for kindergarten.

Last summer, The American Academy of Pediatrics, partnering with Reach Out and Read, began encouraging parents to read, talk, and sing during early childhood checkups:

“With the increased recognition that an important part of brain development occurs within the first three years of a child’s life, and that reading to children enhances vocabulary and other important communication skills, the group, which represents 62,000 pediatricians across the country, is asking its members to become powerful advocates for reading aloud, every time a baby visits the doctor.”

This endorsement of reading is an excellent opportunity for advocacy. Invite caregivers to baby and toddler storytimes. Tell them that library staff carefully plan 15-20 minute sessions with a blend of books that are just right for the age group with songs, activities, and opportunities to move. Not only do the kids soak up the experience – adults also participate in the rhymes and bounces, bonding and learning fun things to try at home. What a perfect chance for babies – and caregivers – to make new friends. And leave with a wonderful impression of the library and how it directly benefits their lives.

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Robyn Lupa, Coordinator, Kids & Families at the Jefferson County Public Library (Colorado) wrote this post for the Advocacy and Legislation Committee.

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My library recently gave me an incredible opportunity: thirty minutes of early literacy training with every staff member in our organization.

Everyone at my library is incredibly supportive of training and professional development, but not all 100 staff members are able to go to conferences or workshops regularly. Our administration staff and department heads worked together to create a “Year of Learning Opportunities” (YOLO) to give everyone the chance to learn some new skills. Six classes were chosen as mandatory sessions, including mine. Staff can sign up for additional non-mandatory classes including topics like Evanced, inter-library loan, local history, Arduinos, STEM, social media, and more.

But since my session was mandatory, I spent a lot of time thinking about what would be most beneficial for all staff to learn. Using Every Child Ready to Read’s five practices as a framework, I decided to focus on teaching everyone a few reasons why/how staff promote that practice in storytime and in the library.

To introduce “Sing”, I gave a few early literacy tips about why singing is important:

• Singing slows down language which helps young children process what you’re saying
• Each syllable/word gets a different note making it easier for children to hear individual sounds
• Songs are repetitive (chorus) and children learn best through repetition

Next, I led the group in a discussion about how the library supports that skill; here’s what we came up with for “Read”:

• Reading books in programming, like storytime (Kids&Teens)
• Signs and postings around the library (Marketing)
• Modeling reading (Kids&Teens, Adult, Circulation, and Technology Services)
• Providing multiple formats to read on (Technology & Technical Services)
• Having quotes on the wall (Building)
• Hosting book-based programming like book and play discussion groups (Adult Services)
• Providing books for check out (everyone — from Building staff who bring the boxes in to Technical Services who processes it to Admin who handles the bills to Kids&Teens/Adult recommending and finding the books to Circulation who get the books home

Last, I gave a few tips for staff to encourage that practice with young children; here’s what I said about “Talk”:

• Greet all patrons, including young children who are often overlooked
• Ask and answer questions — even if it’s an adult conversation, children are still hearing great vocabulary
• Be patient and understand that tantrums/noises are a part of communication and can be the child’s way of trying to “talk”/li>

And that was it for the formal presentation. Afterwards, I invited staff to touch and sort different kinds of early literacy tools according to the five practices to “test” their knowledge. I prefaced this “test” with the fact that each item could go in multiple practices, so there were no right or wrong answers. This was my favorite part — to hear the conversations between staff members made me feel like I had given them useful, practical knowledge.

What a gift for me!

If you’re interested in learning more, please feel free to email me [simplykatie.at.gmail.com] or to leave a comment on this post.

– Katie Salo
Early Literacy Librarian
Indian Prairie Public Library
http://storytimekatie.com

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Nearly forty years ago when I was an elementary education major, my language arts professor took my fellow classmates on a nature walk around the campus to point out all the hidden treasures we might find to enhance our lessons. Shiny berries and dew-dropped pine cones were only the start. There were treasures to be found inside too, from empty thread spools to magazine pictures. I quickly learned to look everywhere, and never miss an opportunity to utilize what I found to share with your students.

It has been many, many years since I took that nature walk, but as a Youth Service Librarian, I am still continually watchful for ideas to enhance the experience of the many families who visit the Patrick Heath Public Library. Recently I came across a most intriguing article by Motoko Rich in the New York Times on November 15. According to the author, a new study demonstrated that mobile technology, specifically texting, is an inexpensive and effective way to help low-income parents develop and enhance their child’s early literacy development. Brief messages such as “Sing the Alphabet Song with your child today,” proved easy to follow, yet tremendously valuable in enhancing early literacy.

Here was a treasure as wondrous as those shiny berries from so long ago. Why not have our library provide patrons with timely early literacy tips via texting? So many of our parents of young children utilize mobile devices—parents of all economic levels—and were therefore an audience waiting to be addressed. I shared my idea with our library director, Kelly Skovberg, who very much supported my proposal. Next came the nuts and bolts of adjusting our website to give patrons an option to sign up for a weekly early literacy text tip. My wonderful and tech-savvy assistant Sarah Doss dove right in and trained on how to implement the new feature, working through several online tutorials and making phone calls to get everything just right.

Patrons can now go to our website at www.boernelibrary.org and click on a Notify Me option that will allow them to subscribe to “Miss Constance’s Text Tips”—a simple process of entering an email and selecting the text option. Patrons will then get a weekly early literacy tip via text. I will be drawing upon all the invaluable tips found in my Every Child Read to Read @ Your Library resources that is a project of ALSC and PLA.

When I shared this news with my storytime mothers, they were very receptive to the idea. I eagerly await their feedback as our new venture takes flight. Texting is so often portrayed negatively in the press as something that alienates people. However, I believe that when used sensibly this technology can be yet another tool to enhance early literacy.

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Our guest blogger today is Constance Keremes. Constance is a Youth Services Librarian at the Patrick Heath Public Library in Boerne, Texas.

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In the time after the Early Childhood Programs and Services Committee met during Midwinter in Philadelphia, I had a short conversation with then-ALSC President, Starr LaTronica. She mentioned she had an idea in the middle of the night to use the space above changing tables for early learning posters with early literacy tips and fingerplays. Posters such as these could help parents and caregivers stay engaged with their children during the diaper change, and could increase the amount of words children hear.

It was a great idea, and during a subsequent conversation, the committee agreed to put together some ideas that could be used for the project. We decided we’d like to use the Every Child Ready to Read practices of Talking, Singing, Reading, Writing, and Playing.

We continued working, coming up with some of our favorite fingerplays and creating the early literacy tips. Then, shortly before ALA’s Annual Conference began in Las Vegas, the White House released a video message from President Obama about an initiative to bridge the word gap—the 30-million-word disparity children from low-income families experience in vocabulary, which impacts learning and school readiness.

During the committee’s meeting at Annual, Joanna Ison, from the ALSC Office, mentioned that the ALSC Board would be looking at ways to commit to joining the President’s initiative to eliminate the 30 million word gap, and thought the changing table poster project could be a way to do that. We agreed.

We are currently putting our ideas together for the posters. We are working with the ALSC Office to find an illustrator. Eventually, we are hoping we will have a set of ten posters, two for each of the five practices, with perhaps more to come. The best part is that the ALSC Board has committed to make them freely available as a download.

Our hope is once the posters are available, libraries can put them wherever changing tables exist in their communities, not only in the library, but in restaurants, museums, and government buildings. We hope that, rather than purchasing posters, communities can put together a collaboration to have the posters printed and distributed, and get parents and caregivers talking with their young children to eliminate the word gap.

We welcome thoughts and ideas about this project, and have become aware that some libraries are doing this in their own buildings. If you have a sample, please share it in the comments below!

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Matt McLain is the 2014-2015 chair of the Early Childhood Programs and Services Committee. He is the Manager of the South Jordan Library, a branch of Salt Lake County Library Services. If you would like to contact him, email [email protected].

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The economic divide in America is a growing concern to librarians, especially as we have learned time and again that children who come from households in the lower socio-economic brackets often enter Kindergarten less prepared than their more affluent peers. I don’t need to use this space to reiterate all of the research that shows how language-rich environments help children, and how libraries can help caregivers and children. I know that children’s librarians from across the country are already thinking creatively about how to best reach underserved populations with engaging outreach and programming. But did you know that there is a well established national nonprofit that already has connections with some of the hardest to reach families in your community? This nonprofit is eager to work with libraries because their mission very clearly overlaps with ours.

The Parent-Child Home Program (PCHP), an evidence-based early literacy, parenting, and school readiness model, is committed to closing the achievement gap by providing low-income families the skills and materials they need to prepare their children for school and life success. – www.parent-child.org

PCHP was founded in 1965, and has years of data showing how their model helps children succeed. Community-based early literacy specialists, the PCHP home visitors, are hired and trained locally, and work with families in their homes, building trusting relationships over time. In the home, the home visitors model reading, conversation, and play activities for caregivers.

I spoke with Sarah Walzer, CEO of PCHP, and we agreed that public libraries and PCHP make perfect partners. Already, PCHP works with libraries around the country in various ways. 2 PCHP sites on Long Island, NY are actually housed in libraries (most are housed in school districts or through social services or other community-based organizations). All PCHP site coordinators and home visitors are encouraged to set up visits to local libraries, taking families to the library to get cards, book advice, and begin to feel comfortable and welcome there. PCHP staff sometimes reach out to local libraries to ask for specific programs, like bilingual storytimes or a special storytime for PCHP families.

Ms. Walzer emphasized that PCHP staff are experts in connecting with the families we want to reach: non-native English speakers, new immigrants, and those living at the bottom of the economic ladder. We should be using these experts to help us reach families and learn more about how to best serve them.

I encourage you to use the PCHP website to find if there is a site located near you. If there is, pick up the phone and reach out to them! We can work together to help children have success in school and life. Do you already work with a local PCHP site or have ideas of how to partner with them? Please share in the comments.

Ashley Waring is a Children’s Librarian at the Reading Public Library in Reading, MA. She is a member of the ALSC Liaison with National Organizations Committee.

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Join ALSC and PLA for an introduction to the 2nd edition of the Every Child Ready to Read @ your library Toolkit for Spanish-speaking Communities. This one-hour webinar is designed for librarians and library staff who are interested in reaching Spanish-speaking families with early literacy information.

This same webinar will be held two different times:

• 11am Central/12pm Eastern, Wed., November 5
• 3pm Central/4pm Eastern, Wed., November 5

The Every Child Ready to Read @ your library Toolkit for Spanish-Speaking Communities is available from the ALA Store. Information on webinar registration is available from the ALSC Online Learning site.

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Talk about inspiration! I attended a fabulous program, which highlighted a panel of early literacy librarian experts. They talked about their wide variety of experiences developing collaborative partnerships in their community. Here are 3 of my quick takeaways:

• If you can train other community partners to extend your reach and support the goals of promoting literacy and school literacy, your impact multiplies.
• Our role as early literacy advocates should be to partner with local social service agencies to work together to break the cycle of illiteracy. Seek out homeless shelters, food banks, and other childhood agencies and connect with their professionals.
• Start up a conversation with parents and caregivers! Sometimes a quick 5-10 minute convo that includes a few early literacy tips is more meaningful and accessible to at-risk families, rather than offering librarian-led lecture style presentations about early literacy. Make it personal and get to know their children individually.

What tips do you have for maintaining successful and meaningful early literacy partnerships in your community?

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Why do you offer storytime at your library?

Is it just for entertainment? Is it to give kids and parents something to do? Is it to get them to step inside the library? Is it just because you’ve always offered storytime? Is it because storytime is what libraries have?

I really try to remain nonjudgmental about everyone’s library offerings for youth. Every community is different and libraries need to be doing what’s right for their community. It means that not every library will or should offer the same programs and services.

But the purposefulness of storytime is where I draw the line.

Every community with young children needs programs to help them succeed in school. And that’s exactly what storytime brings to the table.

I cringe when I hear a librarian say that his or her storytimes are for entertainment.

Yes, storytimes are entertaining. Yes, they give kids and parents something to do. Yes, they are generally something public libraries are expected to offer. But storytimes are so much more. And we need to be saying that at every opportunity to everyone who asks.

As I have educated myself and my staff about early literacy and child development, it’s become imperative that every early childhood program we’re offering at the library is based on developing early literacy and school readiness skills. Every activity we include is there for a reason and if a parent asked why we chose that activity, we could tell him or her what skill we’re learning or practicing.

We are professionals. You are a professional. Don’t sell yourself short.

And the best thing? The very best thing?? You’re already providing these skill-building activities in your storytimes. I guarantee it.

Singing? You’re developing phonological awareness – helping children hear that words are made up of smaller sounds. Teaching rhythm helps children learn to think spatially (math skills!).

Reading stories? You’re encouraging print motivation – getting kids excited to read by sharing fun stories with them. You’re demonstrating how a book works: how you open it, how you turn the pages.

Doing a craft? You’re helping young children practice fine motor skills that they will use when they learn to write. Maybe they’re practicing following directions. Maybe they’re unleashing their creativity.

Bringing out some toys for play time? Play is a wonderful learning activity for children. Playing with children encourages oral communication, which leads to children hearing and learning more and more words.

You’re already doing all these beneficial activities naturally in your early childhood programs. But many people (parents, community stakeholders, maybe your director, maybe your trustees) don’t know that having fun in storytime is actually an essential learning experience. It’s our job to tell them that. And that’s how we get to keep our jobs.

“Entertainment” can easily be found elsewhere. But free programs that build early literacy and school readiness skills don’t grow on trees.

We know we have the most fun in the library. But we’re not doing storytime just for the fun of it.

Not sure how to explain the cognitive benefits of your storytime program? Check out some of the following resources to get started:

• CLEL (Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy)
• Every Child Ready to Read
• Jbrary
• The Magpie Librarian’s Little Reminders Everywhere
• Mel’s Desk – Melissa’s Tips for Delivering Early Literacy Messages
• Reading Rockets
• Storytime Underground
• Zero to Three

What do you say when someone asks you why you provide storytime? How do you spread the good word about early literacy and school readiness in your library?

– Abby Johnson, Children’s Services Manager
New Albany-Floyd County Public Library
New Albany, IN
http://www.abbythelibrarian.com

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Did you know that Head Start was founded back in 1965, with Early Head Start joining the ranks in 1994? Both agencies promote the school readiness of young children from low-income families through agencies in local communities, making Head Start a perfect partner for the ALSC Liaison with National Organizations committee, and libraries in general. Head Start also promotes and enourages the role of parents as their child’s first and most important teacher, just like libraries do.

For the last two summers, I have worked with my local Head Start agency, which has 21 centers in Suffolk County, NY, to help promote the summer reading programs in our local libraries. One easy thing to do? If your library is part of the CSLP, you can share some of the great information on family literacy that promotes parents and summer reading.

On a state level, the NYS Library maintains a website, Summer Reading at New York Libraries that offers tip sheets for parents and caregivers on the importance of reading aloud in multiple languages, and an early literacy manual to download for childcare providers. I made 21 copies of the manual to share with each Head Start center in Suffolk County; encouraging the Head Start staff to share information on local summer reading programs with their families before the end of the school year.  I also gave out any early literacy give-away item that I had purchased with our Family Literacy Services grant to both the public libraries and the Head Start sites. And, I have presented twice now at their yearly staff conference on topics such as “how to choose books for babies and toddlers” and “best books for early childhood.” The teachers and classroom aides really appreciated having a librarian come and share books that they can use in their classrooms.

A more extensive, and long term partnership has evolved over the last two years with our Head Start agency. They administered an early literacy pre-survey to families last summer for my office (I am the youth services coordinator for the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, with 54 member libraries). We provided the survey in both English and Spanish to over 1600 families, with over 900 being returned. Questions ranged from “I play with my baby or child every day” and “I know where my public library is in town” to “my baby or child participates in the summer reading program at our library.” It is our hope that we can administer a post-survey, asking the same questions, to returning families this September to see if we are creating change in early literacy knowledge and habits. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] with any questions or comments about our local partnership with Head Start.

So help Head Start celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Early Head Start program this year by picking up the phone and making a call to your local site today. Because it’s never to early to start planning and building a partnership, one book and family at a time.

Lisa G. Kropp is the youth services coordinator of the Suffolk Cooperative Library System and a member of the ALSC Liaison with National Organizations committe and the Managing Children’s Services virtual committee. She also writes the First Steps column at School Library Journal.

 

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Yesterday I attended ECRR 2.0 Apps for Early Literacy session at #alaac14. A panel of 6 individuals passionate about early literacy discussed current research for best practices, as well as demonstrating a few of their favorite apps.

Panelist Chip D. from TED Erickson encouraged us to think about the 3 C’s:

Content – Is the content of the app developmentally appropriate? High quality? Intentional in its support of ECRR 2?

Context – Is the app appropriate for the context? Will it be used one on one? In storytime? In another setting?

Child – It is appropriate for the individual child? Each child is unique and their personality, interests, and preferences should be taken into account.

 

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This morning I attended a wonderful session titled Every Child Ready To Read 2 – Does It Really Work? Evaluating the Program at #alaac14.

This conversation stimulating session presented the results of an important research study on the impact of ECRR 2 on library storytimes. The research was done in Washington state in 40 libraries of differing sizes over two years. Two groups were created for comparison. One group was experimental in which librarians were provided with training focused around ECRR 2. The second was a control group that was observed, but never given any training. Storytimes were filmed and coded to analyze librarian actions and their on the behavior of children from birth through 60 months. They call their method of evaluation BCPAF/PET and they see it as a way to bridge ECRR 1 and 2 in an effective and intentional way that is easy to plan, identify, and evaluate for librarians.

Overall, they found that any storytime makes a difference. However, the researchers found that purposeful focus on early literacy principles makes a difference in programs and in children’s early literacy behaviors. In other words, being intentional about planning storytimes makes a difference.

What can we do as librarians? Be intentional about planning your storytime. Pick a few behaviors and make small changes. Be intentional and be flexible. The researchers also mentioned that BCPAF/PET can be used also for evaluation – self reflection, peer monitoring, researchers or admin.

Soon the VIEWS2 website will be up and that will have more information on the planning tools, librarian and child behaviors.

 

 

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I was very excited by the partnership between the Association for Library Service for Children (ALSC) and LEGO/DUPLO. My library purchased classroom sets of three of the Read, Build, Play book and block sets for use in storytimes and other programs. I planned a special storytime series to debut the new sets. The three sets we used were Grow, Caterpillar, Grow, Let’s Go Vroom, and Busy Farm. The librarian toolkit (available here: http://www.readbuildplay.com/Read-Build-Play_Librarian-Toolkit.pdf) was a great resource for storytime ideas for each book, and it also provided good information to share with parents/caregivers. Here is an outline of how we ended up using the Grow, Caterpillar, Grow book and block set in our special storytime offerings for two and three year olds.

Butterflies and Caterpillars

Books:

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

• Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek

• Grow, Caterpillar, Grow by LEGO/DUPLO

Rhymes/Songs/Flannelboards:

• Five Little Caterpillars (from Storytime Magic)

• Very Hungry Caterpillar printables

• Color Butterflies

We opened with the same intro each week of Roll, roll, roll your hands (adding verses as appropriate). The first book we used with the Caterpillars and Butterflies theme was The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. I used a caterpillar made from green DUPLOs as a prop for this story. As the caterpillar ate through each item of food, I placed it around my DUPLO caterpillar.

Next we did a flannel board rhyme of Five Little Caterpillars. After that we passed out paper butterflies (made from stapling a paper butterfly cut from a piece of construction paper to a straw). We did the rhyme Color Butterflies and children raised their butterfly and made it fly when their color was read.

Next we read the book Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek. When we finished reading we turned on some music (Grow Caterpillar from the DUPLO Jams set available at www.readbuildplay.com). While the music was playing in the background the children helped me build a DUPLO caterpillar. We used a colored die and had a basket of the square DUPLO pieces. Each color on the die had a number on it. The children would add that number of colored blocks to our caterpillar on their turn.

After we built our caterpillar, I passed out copies of Grow, Caterpillar, Grow and together we read the story. After we read it as a group, I passed out the DUPLOS for each book and together the parent and child read the story again and built each bug as they read. This was a great place to insert the literacy tip included in the Librarian Toolkit about why it’s important to read a story twice.

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Kara Fennell Walker works as the Head of Youth Services at the Geauga County Public Library in Middlefield, Ohio. She is writing for the Early Childhood Programs and Services committee. If you would like to learn more about her LEGO/DUPLO programs, you can email her at kara.walker <at> geaugalibrary.info.

 

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When researching early literacy skills, I found many websites with information for teachers, librarians, and parents to know when helping children.  Most of the pertinent information I found was buried in long paragraphs, citing this doctor and that study, aimed for an audience of educators.  So, as a preschool teacher that served children from all backgrounds, I know that some parents research and apply early literacy techniques to prepare their children, while other parents have never heard of the benefits.

I found this information extremely important for parents to know, but found it was not as accessible for some. I searched around for handouts for parents to take home, and while some were adequate, most were under designed, wordy, or tiresome.

So, what is a person like me with an art degree to do? I decided to gather the best techniques and tips to create colorful, easy to read handouts specifically made for new, young parents.  The information was collected from various websites, pamphlets, and personal experiences. My favorite tip comes from when I was a child: My father would tell me to close my eyes while he played classical music, think of whimsical stories, and recite back to him what I saw. This was to help develop my creative thinking and storytelling skills. Check out pdfs of the handouts here:

Early Literacy(1)

Heartbeat of Toledo, Ohio was the first place to distribute the handouts, specifically to disadvantaged parents.  Parents were very receptive to how the content was presented and told the Executive Director, Pat Todak, of the impact it has made in their daily routine of interacting with their child.

The next program to use the handouts was Reach Out And Read at the University of Toledo Pediatric Center.  At every appointment, nurses give a child an age appropriate book to take home. This could be the first book that child receives.  However, if the parent does not know the importance of reading together and is unaware of the benefits of early literacy, this book would never leave the shelf.  Therefore, I believed that these handouts would accompany the newly gifted books perfectly.

Perhaps your library can be the next place that can utilize these handouts to help parents realize how easy it is to prepare their child to become a reader and the effect it has on them for the rest of their lives.

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Our guest blogger today is Angela Bronson. Angela has a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio. This is her ninth year working for the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, and is currently a Children’s Librarian at Kent Branch Library. In the past, she was a Preschool Art Teacher for Bowling Green State University. She illustrated her first picture book this year titled, “Alora in the Clouds.” 

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

 

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We’ve all seen it…parents engaging with their mobile devices while their children sit idly by, or worse, wandering off unattended…or even WORSE, passing off their smartphone to their young child as a miniature babysitting device. Smartphones and mobile devices are here to stay, at least until the next new technology comes along, which got us wondering…what can we do as children’s librarians to engage the smartphone generation of parents…? Something that will also engage their children…or better yet, engage them TOGETHER? The answer: build an app just for them, one that encourages interaction rather than isolation, and bring the library to WHERE THEY ARE!

Enter the ACPL Family App, designed for parents and caregivers of children from birth all the way through elementary school. This app is intended to be used by adults and children together, promoting age-appropriate learning and literacy development via:

• Video and audio activities for parents of young children, with very do-able examples of ways to incorporate reading, talking, singing, playing and writing into every day. Not sure what it looks like to play with puppets with a child, or why it’s important? Watch and learn!

• Push notifications of early literacy tips for parents of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers, and fun facts for adults to share with school-age children. Parents can sign up to receive early literacy tips weekly on their devices!

• An easy-to-use library events calendar, specifically for children’s programming, searchable by library location and age group. This feature will even add events to a personal calendar, so customers will have another tool to help them remember library events!

• A reading timer and log to keep track of time spent reading. This feature has the ability to log multiple users, so families can all log their reading time. This will be very handy as we roll out this year’s Summer Reading Program!

• Librarian-created booklists to help adults find great books to share with their children. Looking for a great book on potty training for your toddler? Look no further – once again, the library saves the day!

This project certainly didn’t happen overnight. It started as many of our library programs do: a need was waiting to be fulfilled.   And it didn’t happen because of one person.   It happened because many people, with a wide variety of interests and talents, were dedicated to one common goal. Talk about teamwork! Children’s librarians, IT technicians, library assistants, as well as other staff from all over the ACPL system were involved in this process.   This, I believe, is the key to its success.   Libraries, as a rule, tend to draw the greatest, most creative minds to their employee rolls, and when you put several of those minds together, with a goal of producing something for the common good, you just can’t help but get great things.

(All screen shots courtesy ACPL Family app)

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Our guest blogger today is Kris Lill, a Children’s Librarian at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana and a frequent blogger on the ACPL Kid blog.

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].

 

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Three foot snow drift in Ashland WI in front of Lake Superior 4/24/14

Brooke and I are excited to be up in Ashland WI, on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior, to share some preschool know-how (and learn some too!) with our colleagues from the Northern Waters Library System. We are doing a workshop on starting a 1000 Books program, creating an inexpensive early literacy area and tips on doing effective early lliteracy storytimes.

We have a Pinterest board, All Things Preschool, full of links for you. If you don't use Pinterest, here are the highlights:

Growing Wisconsin Readers - a great blog to get insight into everything early literacy - including some great posts on early literacy centers developed in WI!

Hennepin County's slideshare with a ton of easy ideas to create inexpensive early literacy activities

1000 Books Before Kindergarten slideshare

1000 Books Before Kindergarten posts here (including a webinar), here, here, and here.

Both Brooke and I are blogging links for the workshop today, so please head over to Reading with Red for more insight into preschool power!

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At our library we have started to offer “Book Based Programming” to help our youngest customers be ready for kindergarten.*

We offer our parent/caregiver customers a “mini program” (often one-on-one) on how to read a book with their child. When approaching a parent we might say something like:

“Today, at our library, we are talking to parents about how to read a book with their children. We already know that we read books by reading the words on the pages.  So, we are talking with parents about ways to bring important literacy skills “out of a book” while reading with a child.  We have learned that, while reading, it is important to talk about rhyming words, point out alphabet letters, ask questions about what we read, and learn the meaning of new words.  By focusing on these important literacy and language skills, you can help your child become a reader and have success in life!”

The next step involves sitting with the parents and sharing a picture book. We talk with the parents about what to do before, during and after reading a story.  Here are some examples of what we share:

Before reading the story:

• Talk with your child about the cover.  Ask “What do you see on the cover?” and “What do you think might happen in this story?”
• Slide your finger under the words of the title, author, and illustrator as you read and explain those words.

While reading the story:

• Follow the words you read with your finger
• Pause and talk about the pictures and the words.
  • Ask questions about the pictures.  Ask “How many babies are there?” and “How does the crocodile feel?”
  • Ask your child “Where are the words on this page?” Point to a word and name the letters that make up that word.  Clap the syllables in the word.
  • Ask your child “On this page, do you see any letters that are in your name?”
  • Point out any rhyming words – make up new rhyming words
  • Explain the meanings of new words
• Make connections to something familiar to your child.  Ask “Have you been to a zoo?  What did you see at the zoo?”

After reading the story:

• Ask your child, “Who are the characters in the story?” Write a list.
• Ask your child, “What might happen next?”

Book based programming is a simple and easy concept.   All you need is a book and a parent!

However, you want to be prepared!  Read the book before sharing it with a parent.  You want to know what literacy aspects to focus on.

Book based programming allows us to have very meaningful conversations with our families.   After one program, a mother said, “I never knew there was so much I could do with a book!”

Are you doing something similar at your library?

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Zounds!

No reason in particular I wrote that word.  I just like to say “Zounds!” from time to time. Onward!

• I initially misread this post as “Summer Reading Takes a Hit From Online Scanning and Skimming Researchers Say” (which shows you where my mind is these days).  It’s not “Summer” but Serious Reading Takes a Hit From Online Scanning and Skimming Researchers Say.  I am not dead to the irony of linking to such a piece within a post where the entire purpose is to skim and scan.  That said, I’m just grateful that summer reading isn’t taking that hit.  Now THAT would be a catastrophe.  Thanks to Wayne Roylance for the link.

• This is somewhat related. The New York Times put out an article talking about the necessity of literature for the very young.  Called Books, and Compassion, From Birth it won’t say much that you don’t already know, but hopefully it’ll get some readers aware of what needs to be done.  It also ties in quite beautifully with author Jason Boog’s delightful July release Born Reading: Bringing Up Bookworms in a Digital Age — From Picture Books to eBooks and Everything in Between.  In the interest of transparency, I wrote the introduction for that book, but the content is all Boog.  Consider it the most necessary bit of parental instruction you’ll find.  Hand to folks at baby showers.  Please.

• I’m about a week behind in all my news, so you probably saw this long ago.  But just in case you didn’t I was amused by this mash-up of Syd Hoff/Richard Scarry and some very adult novels.  Here’s the link and here’s one of the images in question:

Awesome.

• It wouldn’t be the first time Mac Barnett and Daniel Handler have appeared on the same panel.  Heck, it probably wouldn’t even necessarily be the best time but there’s nothing like an imminent birth to make a person want to attend the 2014 ALSC National Institute. Aside from the great guests, folks get to go to a place called Children’s Fairyland.  I went to see whether or not I’d added the attractions there to my Complete Listing of All Public Children’s Literature Statues in the United States and found that I had not yet.  I think on maternity leave I go back to updating that post.  It’s 75% done.  Just need to keep adding on suggestions (and I see that the Albany Public Library turned it into a Pinterest board, which is rather fascinating in and of itself).

• I was fascinated by the recent ShelfTalker post To Host or Not to Host?  The gist of it is that local authors will often ask a bookstore to host an event for their book.  No big surprise there, except what do you do when they’ve published through Amazon?  The back and forth in the comments is worth your time and money.

• Good old Rocco Staino wrote up the recent celebratory 90-Second Newbery hosted at NYPL.  The gist of the article is quite clever too.  I had noticed vaguely, but without putting it together, that this year’s film festival featured a lot of forgotten Newbery book winners.  I mean, does anyone at all remember The Old Tobacco Shop: A True Account of What Befell A Little Boy in Search of Adventure?  And I blush to say it, but I had no idea that Anne Carroll Moore won a Newbery Honor back in the day.  Wowzah.  How is THAT fact not better known?

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The upcoming ALSC Institute in Oakland, CA, on September 18-20, 2014, provides an abundance of outstanding programs to attend, from exploring innovative ways for youth services librarians to engage with community to the latest in early literacy research and best practices.

Among the many programs offered will be Every Child Ready to Read® en Español: A How-to Workshop, offering practical information for using the Spanish ECRR Manual and kit’s new tools. Several of the program presenters gave us a few minutes of their time to talk about what Institute attendees can look forward to.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Freda Mosquera: I am a passionate advocate of library services to children and teens of color, and through my own professional journey have had the great professional opportunity to meet others that share this passion and are committed to promoting these services at the local, state at national level. Some of these outstanding professionals comprise this panel. The lives of many Latino children in the United States have been greatly enriched thanks to their contributions. I am infinitely grateful to them for their work and honored to share this panel with them.

Ana-Elba Pavon:  I am currently a Branch Manager at the Elmhurst Branch of the Oakland Public Library.  A co-author of 25 Latino Craft Projects (ALA Editions, 2003), I have spoken on various aspects of children’s, Latino, and Spanish-language library services at various national and international conferences.

Lucía M. González: I am librarian, storyteller, and author.  My book, The Bossy Gallito, was included among the New York Public Library’s 100 Most Popular Children’s Books of the Last Century and 100 Fantastic Tales that Have Withstood the Test of Time.

Tell us about your program in just 6 words.

Freda:  Insightful, empowering, fun, practical, informational and inspiring.

What’s one thing you feel people should know about your program?

Freda:  As the translator of many of the Every Child Ready to Read® en Español slides, guides and bibliographies, and the manual, I believe it is important that librarians, teachers and parents know the manual was developed to help non-Spanish speaker professionals, as well as those that speak the language. People should be aware of the publishers’ (PLA & ALSC) dedication and commitment to produce a culturally appropriate manual that displays a profound respect for the Spanish language and the very diverse cultures of Spanish-speakers in the United States. Professionals that do not speak Spanish should feel confident using this manual. It will greatly help them to provide a much needed service: early literacy for bilingual children, as well as children that are raised in an English speaking world and whose parents speak Spanish.

What’s one thing someone who attends your program will be able to take back to their libraries and use right away?

Freda: Librarians will be able to start free literacy sessions and workshops for Spanish-speaking parents, as well as promoting and advertising the ECRR program in Spanish, using the materials contained on the manual.

Looking at the list of other programs on the lineup, which one are you most looking forward to attending?

Ana-Elba:  Making Advocacy Awesome: A Workshop for the Everyday Advocate—You!

Lucia:  Dewey-Lite: A Solution to the Non-Fiction Problem

If you could be any kid’s lit character, who would you be and why?

Freda:  Alice in Wonderland, because I like to think that impossible things are possible.

Ana-Elba:  Piggy from Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie series.  I just love those books.  They make me laugh, the kids enjoy them, and they remind me of one of my cherished friendships.

Lucia:  Hermione Jean Granger from the Harry Potter series. She is proud and confident of her Muggle origins, and always smart and brave.

Ted McCoy, ALSC Institute Task Force Member and Children’s Librarian at Springfield (MA) City Library

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ALSC and PLA announced the release of a new Every Child Ready to Read® product. The Every Child Ready to Read® your Library® Toolkit for Spanish-Speaking Communities is now available as a digital download from the ALA Store.

Every Child Ready to Read® is a parent education initiative that stresses that early literacy begins with the primary adults in a child’s life. It empowers public libraries to assume an essential role in supporting early literacy within their community.

The Every Child Ready to Read @ your library Toolkit for Spanish-Speaking Communities contains everything you need to offer Every Child Read to Read programming for your Spanish-Speaking patrons. This digital download is a turnkey product that includes Spanish-language activities and booklists.

Join the ECRR Ning Community

Want to learn what other libraries are doing for Every Child Ready to Read? Join in the Every Child Ready to Read Ning community. The Ning community is a place for individuals to post resources like photos, videos, and booklists. It’s free to join!

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This month marks our third year of doing 1000 Books Before Kindergarten in La Crosse!!

It has been an amazingly fun journey.

Over 850 children have joined the program (in our community of 51K) and 172 have reached the 1000 books goal.

So far over 257, 200 books (yes...over a quarter of a million!!)  have been read to kids in our community as a result of this program. 

Our program was built so it could evolve to adapt to how parents and children react to the materials and incentives. Here is how we've changed:

Materials: Our first recording sheet asked parents to write down every title read. Then it morphed to bookmarks with 100 seeds to mark off. It has settled comfortably into a sheet with seeds, ten lines for favorite titles to be recorded and little literacy tips on each sheet.

Incentives: Stickers are king and queen for the kids and their most treasured part of each return visit. Kids still receive a nursery rhyme fingerpuppet at 500 and a book on completion. When we first started our focus group encouraged us to give out  logo-infused incentives to parents at 300 (lanyard), 500 (window cling), 800 (fridge magnet) and 1000 (book bag) levels. We soon realized the parents didn't care. So now, the book bag is given out at sign-up and that is the most prized parental possession (as well as great advertisement for the program around the community!)

Inclusiveness: The program was designed for 1-5 year olds because we wanted the kids to realize the excitement of what was happening. But what about the babies?!?! Our new early literacy librarian Brooke Rasche came on board a year ago and immediately developed and wrote a grant to fund Baby Book Bees to dovetail into our garden themed 1000 Books. With their first 100 books read, graduate Bees have a head start by the time they join 1000 Books. We have 44 babies in this new program!

We continue to talk the programs up, include them on our program flyers and distribute posters to daycares and schools to alert families to what's available. It has been a win-win program for our community and is one that more and more libraries are adding.

If you have added a 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program at your library, please let me know in the comments and I will make sure it gets pinned to my 1000 Books Pinterest board and get it on the google map. And if you are thinking of adding the program, please stop at this blog post for resources, history, research to support grant or funding requests and more!

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At the Indianapolis Children’s Museum–the world’s biggest and best! for a Family Place Symposium on families and health. Not an official PLA event, but very exciting to be in this amazing space, learning about this terrific program. We are not a Family Place Museum yet, but I am certainly going to make it a goal!

Shelley Sutherland

KidSpace Supervisor

Niles Public Library, IL

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